Trust
by Arikae
Summary: This story comes after Season 4 episode 2. There are still a lot of trust issues after Colby returns to the team and the Chinese are not happy they have been played for two years.


**Author's note: So 10 years after this show aired I discover it on Netflix (gotta love it). However, I have to say that it wasn't until I was introduced to Special Agent Colby Granger that I truly fell in love with the show. In my opinion, there was not enough of this _very Special Agent!_ So just like every other fandom I write in, this is my way making up for that. And in true Arikae-fashion, there is a lot of angst and hurt/comfort. I hope you all like it but its okay if don't. **

**This story takes place after "Trust Metric" - best episode :D**

 **Warnings: un-betaed. I apologise for all grammar and spelling mistakes. I have read through this story many times but mistakes always slip through. Also I tend to go off on a tangent with my stories (mainly because I don't start with a plan...I just keep typing). If it feels like I don't want to bring this story to an end, it's because I don't.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters though I really wish I owned Granger!**

Don Eppes's FBI team; Megan Reeves, David Sinclair, Liz Warner and Colby Granger stood around a map of one of Los Angeles warehouse district, along with Don's brother Charlie Eppes. After two weeks of undercover work laid out by Agent Sinclair they were finally ready to make the exchange with an international arms dealer by the name of Damien Woodbridge; wanted in seven countries.

Colby Granger looked over at his partner and worried at how worn out the man seemed. He knew the undercover assignment had taken a toll on Sinclair but there was nothing he could say or do to help him because David wanted nothing to do with him. Granger had only returned to the fold yesterday after the Chinese espionage fiasco. He wasn't working for the Chinese and the team knew it but that didn't negate the fact that Colby had been reporting on him team for two years. Colby liked to think that he hadn't been lying but rather omitting the truth. It didn't make a difference to the team though.

He was already feeling guilty about all the secrets, but now that guilt doubled at seeing David's tired form. He wished he could have been there during the past couple of weeks for moral support just as David had been for him the last couple of years, even if he didn't know it. However, aside from the fact that David would never have accepted his support, Colby was in no physical or mental shape to give it.

* * *

He had spent the first week in hospital recovering from his…torture…at the hands of Lancer. The drugs took longer to leave his system than the doctor had anticipated. They hadn't realised this until a scream tore from Colby when a nurse came in to take his blood. Megan had only just left the room when his tortured cry froze her blood. She bolted back into the room only to find Colby on the verge of passing out and the young nurse standing in shock.

"What happened?"

"I…I…don't know…I was just taking his blood for testing."

"Get the doctor." Megan ordered as she went to her friend's side and placed a gently hand against his cheek but even that touch caused him to flinch. She kept her hand there nonetheless, hoping to provide some comfort. "It's okay, Colby. Doctor's on his way." She let out a sympathetic sigh, "Lancer really did a number on you, didn't he?"

* * *

Colby was thankful for Megan's presence. She had been the only one to truly welcome him back. He didn't understand why. She should've felt as betrayed as any of them and when he asked her why, she said, "Colby, you're not a traitor. You just made us believe you were which was your job."

Don Eppes had been forgiving as well. Colby was allowed back on the team and he found out it had been Alan Eppes words that convinced Don to accept him again. As Alan had said, "You keep files on every FBI Agent anyway. Everything was above board." Still, he needed to earn Don's trust again. Don had told him that what scared him most about his job was not being able to trust the men and women on his team. It's rare for Don to give a third chance, Colby knew it and he wasn't going to blow it.

Liz Warner wasn't as emotionally invested in the situation and hence didn't have any problem with Colby. That was what she had told him when they worked on a case yesterday. That left David Sinclair: his partner and best friend for the past two years. How did he win back the man's trust?

David wasn't happy that Don had brought Colby into the loop for this case and he voiced his concern to his boss, in private…or so he thought. They were in the break room that afternoon when he brought up his issue with the plan behind closed blinds. "I don't want Colby there tonight. He hasn't even been on the case, why do we need him?"

"You know the reason why, David." Don groaned, he knew this would come up.

"Just because Agent Wiseman got injured yesterday during a bust? So what? We have plenty of other guys who can be our sniper." David argued, vehemently.

"None as good as Colby." Don said, easily. It was true and David knew it. Don sipped his coffee, waiting for David to give him the real reason as to why he didn't want Colby on the case.

"I don't trust him to watch my back." David blurted out, a little louder than he had intended.

Colby was standing near the door of the break room. He hadn't meant to listen in, but he couldn't help it when his name came up. He closed his eyes at the pain in his chest when he heard David's words. Enough was heard and he wanted to leave without his teammates knowing but another agent, entering the room, announced his presence. "Hey Granger." The agent greeted as he passed him.

He sighed and stepped out into the entrance. "Hey." He returned but his eyes were on his boss and his…ex…best friend. He saw in their eyes that they knew he had overheard everything. "I just wanted to tell you I'm heading over to the shooting range to prepare for tonight." With that he quickly left before anyone could say anything.

"C…Damn it!" Don cursed at his agent's quick departure. He turned back to David who just shrugged at him. He didn't care that Colby had heard them. It was clear to everyone that Sinclair didn't trust Granger any more. Don glared at him. "This exchange is going down with Colby so you better get your head around it before you do something we'll all regret." He left the room and ran after Granger, hoping to catch him before he got to the lift but he was too late, the door had just closed as he neared it. Don sighed tiredly. He really needed his team back in top form. Slowly, he made his way back to his office.

"What was that about?" Megan asked as he passed her, even though she already had an idea.

Don stopped and rubbed his eyes before leaning over the partition to speak with his profiler. "Colby overheard something David and I were…discussing." Megan nodded, understanding and sympathetic to the situation Don was in. Don let out a frustrated breath. "Was I wrong for accepting Colby's request to return to the team?"

"It would have been wrong for you not to." Megan told him plainly. "What Colby did was heroic to say the least! He shouldn't be punished for protecting his country." Megan turned her gaze to where Don was looking and sighed. David sat at his desk pretending to not notice them talking about him.

"And what about David? Should he be punished?" Don asked. "Because that's what it feels like I'm doing by letting Colby back in."

Megan winced at that. "David still feels betrayed because Colby was his partner and best friend. Eventually he'll see the situation the way we do. But if you let Colby go?" She shook her head. "That could do permanent damage to both of them." She smiled and reached up, giving Don's forearm a supportive squeeze. "This way, they can work out their problems and move forward together."

Don gave her a half-hearted smile, "Let's hope." He said before walking away.

* * *

They studied the pictures and blueprints of the warehouse where the exchange was going to take place. The genius mathematician was there to give them advice on the best vantage point for where Colby should be positioned. Charlie shook his head. "This one's a doozy."

Colby couldn't help but let out a chuckle, "Is that the technical term?" Everyone cracked a smile except David.

"This is serious, Granger. If anything goes wrong it's me who ends up getting filled with bullets." David glared at Colby.

Colby's smile faded and he returned the glared with as much intensity, if not more. "That's not going to happen."

"Well you'll excuse me if I don't bet my life on it."

"Only if you'll excuse me that I do!" Colby growled back.

"Guys! Easy!" Don yelled at them, then turned to David, "Back off, Sinclair."

David clenched his jaw before looking back down at the photos. Colby let out a breath and closed his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. He's been tense since the break room incident. "So what's the verdict, professor?" He asked, tired, "Where should I be?"

Charlie looked nervously at Don, who nodded for him to continue. "As I was saying, the dealer chose a very good place for the exchange. Storage containers in all directions cover them. The best vantage point for a sniper is here." He pointed to the first landing at the back of the warehouse, directly opposite the entrance. "Colby will be able to cover David from here but…" Charlie hesitated as he turned to David.

"What?" David asked, tensely.

"If the buyer moves either direction, he'll move out of range of the Colby and you'll be on your own…at least until the others can reach you."

Colby didn't like the sound of that. "Charlie, this relies on Woodbridge not moving. How are we supposed to control that?"

Charlie shrugged. "If David doesn't make a move, neither should Woodbridge?"

Colby looked at David, his gaze filled with concern. So this relied on David trusting Colby to have his back. If this was half a year ago, that would not have been a problem but today... "There's got to be another…"

"It's fine. I can watch my own back. Seems like I've been doing it for the last two years without knowing it anyway." David didn't even see Colby launch at him from across the table. He landed on hard on his back, the wind knocked out of him but otherwise, unharmed. When he realised Colby was on top of him, he struggled to get free but Colby had the advantage, keeping him on his back with a forearm across his chest.

Megan, Liz and Charlie looked on in shock and turned to Don, expecting him to be furious but he shook his head at them, telling them to let it play out. He trusted Colby to not kill his agent even though he was close to strangling David himself. "Get this through your thick head, Sinclair." He heard Colby growl through his teeth. "Everything I've told you about myself in the past two years was the truth. I've told you things I've never told anyone about and that includes my own family. I couldn't tell you about my operation and you know it!" Don could see Colby's deliberate effort to control himself. "Think about how you've felt these past two weeks!" Colby's eyes bore into David's. "That's how I've felt the past two years!"

David saw the anguish in Colby's eyes and knew he spoke the truth but it was the last comment that hit home for David. The last two weeks had been hard on David. He took on the case because he needed to get his mind off what had happened with Colby. It did that, but only because it was so mentally straining to keep up the act in front of people who wanted you six feet under. So to feel that way for two years was unimaginable. He wanted to say something…something that took away the pain in his friend's eyes but his pride wouldn't let him. He still felt as if he had been played for two years. The wound was still too raw.

Colby thought he saw something in David's expression soften but as quick as it had appeared, it was gone. "Get off me!"

Colby clenched his jaw and shoved himself off the agent in frustration. He got up and looked up at the ceiling with his hands on his hips, taking deep breaths to regulate his emotions. By the time he got them under control, David was up on his feet straightening his jacket and tie. Colby pointed at him and spoke with enough conviction that it left everyone in the room with no choice but to believe him.

"You're getting out of this alive even if it means my life!" He turned back to the table and pointed at the floor plan of the warehouse. "Right here?" He was looking at Charlie. Charlie just nodded. "Then here it is." He turned his Don. "Sorry, Don."

Don looked at David. "You good?" This was David's case after all. He was the one who would be in the line of fire. If he didn't feel comfortable with this then they'd have to cancel the whole operation, but Don knew David would never allow that to happen.

"I'm good."

"Good." Don continued with the plan. Each agent was given his or her job and position. They would have two other field agents with each of them. The manpower was needed for this.

* * *

Colby was in position on the first floor landing. He knelt with the rifle resting on the railing. He had the Woodbridge in his sights. "I have him." Colby spoke softly into his mic.

"I'm in position." Megan.

"Ready." Liz.

"Nobody makes a move until money is exchanged." Don waited inside a storage container near the entrance of the warehouse. A hole had been drilled through the container so that Don could see what was happening. He tried his hardest to ignore the feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him this was not going to end well, but logic told him that the plan was good. He watched as David opened the case of assault rifles for the buyer to examine. Woodbridge was there with six of his men, each heavily armed. Don knew his agents could take them out but nothing was ever certain in this line of work.

Colby took, what was called, sniper breaths. It kept him cool and calm so that he could remain still for long periods of time. Anybody who did sniper trainer had to learn it. Colby saw Woodbridge's firearms expert nod, telling his boss that the products were genuine. Woodbridge smiled and nodded for another one of his men to hand over the money. "Ten million dollars, Mr Sullivan, as agreed." The man was British and spoke like James Bond. He stepped up to Sinclair and held out his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you."

David smiled, with the brief case of money in one hand, he shook Woodbridge's hand with the other. "The pleasure's all mine."

That was the cue. "FBI!" Don, Liz and Megan all came from their positions, surrounding Woodbridge and his men. David dropped the brief case and pulled his own gun.

"Don't move!" And that was when all hell broke loose. It seems Woodbridge and his men would rather chance shooting their way out of this than surrendering. Colby cursed as the first shots were fired and everyone took cover. He kept his calm and focused on taking down the bad guys one shot at a time. There were only so many he could take down without breaking cover. Slinging the rifle over his shoulder he jumped over the railings and landed deftly onto a storage container. He ran along the top with the speed and stealth of a ninja. He had one goal in mind. Keep his team safe. Woodbridge's men were good. It was no wonder he always got away. They work together much like a seal team would. They were highly trained. He wondered where Woodbridge got these men? Colby dropped to his knee and took down a man who had Megan pinned down. He didn't catch Megan's grateful look. He had to find David. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Don arresting one of the men. "Come on, David, where are you?" He turned to his left and spotted David turn a corner around a container. Damn it! He needed a higher vantage point. He ran to the side of the warehouse and jumped up, grabbing the landing and pulling himself up. Running along, he spotted his partner just in time to see Woodbridge and one of his henchman box David in. There was nowhere for David to go. He was trapped between the men and the containers. Colby didn't think. He just reacted. "Hey!" He called out, drawing all three men's attention. Colby shot Woodbridge between the eyes, at the same both David and Woodbridge's man got off their shots.

David didn't even know he was so close to meeting his maker. He only had Woodbridge in his sights until Colby called out, making him turn and see the other man about to put a bullet in him, but Colby had distracted him enough for David to take him out. He turned back to Woodbridge and saw that Colby's shot was good. Breathing out in relief, he ran over to Woodbridge and kicked away his gun before kneeling down to check for a pulse. He was dead. "Woodbridge is neutralised. I repeat Woodbridge is down." David reported into his mic. The gunfire had ceased and David knew the good guys had won.

"Copy that, David. Good job." Don handed his perp over to his men before sagging back onto on of the containers. It was a long night, but it all worked out in the end. "Roll call." He ordered, he knew his people were fine but he needed the reassurance.

"Reeves."

"Donahue."

"Stonebridge."

"Warner."

"Milton."

"Richards."

Don smiled as the names were called in. "James."

"Reed."

"Sinclair." Just one more name, Don told himself, but there was only silence after David called in. He knew every agent froze as the silence continued.

Megan and Liz, who were outside saw the blood drain from each other's faces. "Come on, Colby, call in." Megan whispered to herself.

"Colby, do you copy?" Don spoke into his mike.

David was shaking as he turned to where his partner was supposed to be, where he had last seen him. "Colby." He frowned when he didn't see his partner, until he realised he as looking too high. Colby wasn't standing as he was when David saw him, he was slumped against the wall of the building. "Colby!" He broke into a run. "Agent down. Agent down!" Don reached the wall of the warehouse and looked in each direction. "Damn it! Why are the stairs so far!" David ran towards the stairs near the back of the warehouse. "Get a medic to the first landing east side now!"

Don bolted in the direction David had called out. "David, what's the situation?"

"I don't know!" David puffed as he took the steps two at a time. "Colby!" Colby looked so far away as he ran towards the unmoving figure. Finally, he reached where he was needed to be…at his friend's side. "Colby." He called softly as he knelt down next to his friend. The relief he felt when he saw that Colby was still conscious was indescribable. "Hey." He forced himself to smile when Colby turned to him. He was horrified when Colby replied with a choke and blood splattering out of his mouth. "No, no, no…" He looked down and saw the blood running out from under Colby's vest. "Crap!" David pulled at the Velcro securing the vest to Colby and immediately saw the bullet wound that was causing the problem. "GSW to the abdomen!" David reported just as Don reached them.

"How bad?" Don asked, afraid of the answer.

David looked up, sombrely. "It's bad. He was shot from the ground. Bullet entered from under his vest." He told Don in a rush. "Help me lie him down." Don nodded and supported Colby by the shoulders as David manoeuvred him onto his back.

"Aaahhhh…" Colby howled at the pain the movement caused.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." David chanted as he applied pressure to the wound. Colby only had the strength to groan this time. Don knelt at Colby's head. He took off his vest and gently slipped it under Colby's head. "You're going to be okay, Colb. Help's on the way." He wiped at the blood coming out of his agent's mouth. "Help's on the way." He repeated to himself. "Where's that medic, Megan?!" He grilled into the mike.

"On their way up." Came the reply.

"You hear that?" Don looked down, his heart skipping a beat when he saw Colby's eyes closed. "Hey! Stay with me!" Don slapped Colby's cheek hard. David held his breath as he watched his boss feel for a pulse. "He's still with us." Don declared, nodding to David.

David closed his eyes, allowing himself a little reprieve at hearing that. "Come on, Colby." David said after calming himself. "You have to hold on. There's a lot not right between us and I want to fix it." When Colby didn't respond he spoke louder. "You hear me, Granger! You told me I would get out of this alive and here I am, so I'm telling you now, so are you! You are not dying on me, you got that!" There was still no response. "DAMN IT, GRANGER. WAKE UP!"

Don swallowed at the lump in his throat as he remembered Colby's words back at headquarters; _you're getting out of this alive even if it means my life!_ "I should've pulled you from this as soon as you said those words." Don whispered to no one in particular. That's why he felt that dread at the pit of his stomach.

Finally, the paramedics arrived with a stretcher. "We've got it from here, sir." One of them said. There wasn't enough room on the landing for all of them to stand around Colby. Reluctantly, Don and David got out of the way so that the medics could work. They stood there helplessly as a pressure bandage was taped over the bullet wound, a backboard strapped to Colby and then quickly transferred onto the stretcher. "Let's go!" One medic called, making their way quickly and safely to the ambulance waiting at the entrance. Megan and Liz were waiting for them outside. Tears ran down Megan's cheeks as Colby was loaded into the back of the ambulance. She could see how pale her teammate was under the oxygen mask. "Who's riding with him?" There was no argument as to who it would be. David jumped into the back. "We're headed to Long Beach Memorial." The paramedic announced before closing the door. Don knew he would be getting heaps from IA for letting David go after a fatal shooting but there was no way David would get through that process without first making sure Colby would pull through.

* * *

The wait in the trauma centre was tense at best. Nobody could keep still or stay seated. They were in this situation two weeks ago, waiting on news on the same person! This shouldn't be happening again. "How much longer do we have to wait?!" David slammed his hand against the wall of the hospital. "It's been 6 hours!"

"The doctor said the bullet did a lot of damage before it stopped in his left lung." Liz recalled the image of the x-ray the doctor had shown them. The bullet made a pathway through his large and small intestines, stomach and nicked the liver before stopping in his left lung. "This is major surgery, David."

"I know! I was there!" David snapped at her before catching himself. "I'm sorry. I'm just…" He ran his hand over his head.

"We're all on edge here, David. It's okay." Don squeezed his shoulder.

David shook his head. "If he doesn't make it…"

"He will." Megan told him firmly.

"But if he doesn't, he'll die thinking I hate him." David pushed the heel of his hands against his eyes, trying to stop the tears from coming. "He can't…I can't…"

"Hey, hey, hey…" Don turned him by the shoulders so that they were facing each other. "Colb's too stubborn to let a bullet take him down. Two weeks ago he came back from the dead. Twenty bucks says he'll make us wish he was dead a week from now." David had to laugh at that. Colby was notorious for being a bad patient. He nodded. Don was right. Colby was too stubborn to die.

* * *

It was over 6 hours later that Colby was declared to be in a critical but stable condition. There was a lot of repairing to do but the doctors managed it. He had flat-lined twice during surgery but like Don had said, Colby was too stubborn to die.

"I've placed him in an induced coma. His body needs time to recover from the trauma. He has a tube to assist his breathing, but that's only until I bring him out of the coma." Dr Weinstein was exhausted from the long surgery.

"Is there any permanent damage?" Don asked because he knew Colby's career as a field agent would be over if he didn't recover fully.

"I can't say until he wakes up and I can perform a full assessment, but I am optimistic. The x-rays made the damage to look worse than it was." He put up his hand when the team breathed out in relief, not letting them get too happy too soon. "It's a long recovery period for him. Don't expect him back on the job for at least 3 months."

Don wasn't worried about that. It could take a year for all he cared, as long as he knew Colby still had a future in the FBI. He shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you, Doc. You have no idea what you've done for this team."

The doctor looked around at the men and women who surrounded him. The relief and concern on their faces were undeniable, along with the gratitude to him, for saving their teammates life. This was a close-knit team. "I think I have some idea."

"Can we see him?" Megan asked for all of them.

"He's being moved to ICU at the moment. It'll be room 421. Head that way and a nurse should be able to tell you when you can go in. Only two at a time. He needs his rest."

Don nodded. "Thanks again, Doc." They ran after David who had already headed for the lift to the fourth floor. As soon as the doctor told them Colby's room number he shot off without hearing the rest.

"David, hold up." Don caught up to him and grabbed him by the arm. "What's the rush? Colby hasn't been set up yet. You get up there you'll just have to wait again."

"So?" David didn't understand what Don was trying to say.

"You're exhausted. You haven't slept in 24 hours and you've barely eaten. We're all heading down to the cafeteria to get ourselves a bite before heading up to see Colby." Don ordered. "This isn't a suggestion." He told David who was going to protest. "You heard the doc. Colby's in a coma at the moment and he's in good hands. Let's go take care of ourselves before we go see him."

David sighed, knowing he had no choice. "Fine." He huffed, allowing his team to guide him towards the cafeteria.

* * *

1 week later…

Colby Granger was in a morphine-induced sleep. Two days ago he had woken up with a tube down his throat. After groggily coming back to the real world, he realised he was choking on something. With the adrenaline of the panic, Colby's hand flew straight to the object invading his mouth and throat.

David couldn't have been happier to see his friend waking up. He sat forward in his seat as he waited for Colby to get his bearings. He was waking up sooner than the doctor had expected which was expected of Special Agent Colby Granger. He never really did do what the doctor said. His smile faded when he saw Granger's panicked reaction. "Easy there, partner." He grabbed hold of Colby's wrist as his hand moved to pull out the tube. "Listen to me." He gently took the other hand when it started for the tube as well. "The tube is there to help you breath."

Colby wanted to struggle when he felt himself being restrained but a voice stopped him. He knew that voice. It was calming. He stilled his struggles and turned his head to his left. David. Slowly, he let his eyes drift closed, knowing he was safe in his partner's hands.

"That's it, Colby. You'll be fine." After everything that has gone on between he and Colby he was glad he could still be a source of comfort for his friend. David pressed the button to call for a nurse. He knew now that his friend would recover. A little later on in the day, the tube had been removed and after an hour of assessing Colby's condition, it was determined he would be making a full recovery, much to the relief of his team.

Colby still needed an oxygen mask to help his lungs heal, but he was transferred into a regular room. The left lung was weak from having a bullet lodged into it. His teammates, as well as Charlie, Alan, Amita and Larry, came in and out in a scheduled order, ensuring Colby was never alone. Don had pulled some strings to allow for friends and family to stay throughout the night on the condition they did not cause any trouble for the nurses. In actual fact, the nurses liked that they stayed. It was one less patient to watch over. Usually family members were overbearing and tended to complain more than the patients, but the FBI Agents and their family only needed to be close to their friend rather than ensuring the nurses were doing their jobs.

* * *

It was another week before Colby was more awake than asleep and this was when the team started worrying over Colby's mental state rather than his physical one. As Colby became more aware of his world, all the stress and anguish from the last couple of months came back to him. More so, his strained relationship with David returned. Even though Colby was mostly unconscious for the past two weeks, he remembered a constant presence at his bedside. It was a comforting one, one that allowed him to sleep peacefully because that presence was watching his back. He knew it was David but the more awake he was the less he saw of his partner. He started withdrawing and the team could see that their friend was slowly sinking into despair.

* * *

After two weeks of physio in the hospital, two weeks in which there was no sight of David, he was deemed fit enough to return home. However, there were very strict instructions given to Don, as Colby lay in the bed, dressed and ready to leave. "He's well enough to leave but he is far from physically fit. Simple actions we take for granted will cause him pain. Unless he is having a shower or going to the bathroom, he should stay in bed or at the very least, seated."

Don nodded, "Got it, Doc. He'll be staying at my brother's place. My dad will keep an eye on him 24/7."

"You know it would be nice if you spoke about me to me!" Colby glared at him, not happy at being ignored.

Don grinned back, "He's stubborn but as long as he's still an agent he'll do what he's ordered." He chuckled when Colby's glare intensified.

Dr Weinstein smiled, knowing Colby Granger was in good hands. "You've signed him out and picked up his prescriptions?"

Don pulled out the bag of pills from Granger's overnight bag. "Here it is."

"Okay, the white pills are for the pain. Take it as needed." This time the doctor did speak to Granger, pointedly, "Do not wait until the pain is unbearable." Granger rolled his eyes and nodded.

A few days ago, Granger had decided that he could bare the pain. He hated using the morphine but it was too soon to try that. Don was there when he tried to pull that stunt. It took over fifteen minutes for the drug to work. Don was not impressed to say the least. "Don't roll your eyes at the doc, I was there. Scared ten years off my life!"

"Yeah, yeah." Granger droned, though he couldn't help but smile a little.

"The blue pills are antibiotics. Take them every day until they are finished." The doctor continued. "The pink pills are for nausea. It may not be needed but it has happened when patients return home and their stomachs rebel against the home-cooked meals."

"Got it, doc. I'll make sure he behaves." Don shook the doctor's hands. "Thank you again. Annoying as he is, the FBI needs him. You've done your country a big favour."

Granger was taken aback by the sentiment. It was rare for Don to speak with such exaggeration. It touched him. The doctor nodded at Granger. "That's quite the compliment from your superior, Colby. Looks like you'll need to recover as soon as possible. I like to know that Los Angeles has the best out there watching over it."

Granger smiled, a little embarrassed now. "Will do, Doc. Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome."

Don waited for the doctor to leave before grabbing the wheelchair an orderly had rolled in. It was on loan until Granger was allowed to walk. "Ready?" It's been too long since he's seen that grin from Colby. "Let's get you home." Don winced as he helped his agent off the bed and into the wheelchair. A fine sheen of perspiration had formed from that small move. When he knelt in front of Granger, he saw that his eyes were closed as he tried to get his breathing under controlling.

When Colby opened his eyes, he saw a very concerned FBI Agent looking back at him. He smiled, warmed by his leader's concern. "I'm okay. Just needed to catch my breath."

Don smiled, though he was still worried, he let it go. "Let's go." He gave Colby's leg a pat before getting up and pushing his friend out of the hospital.

"So tell me, why does big, bad Special Agent Don Eppes have the time pick me up from the hospital? Did the bad guys take a day off?" Colby grinned at his boss's laugh.

"Yep, the bad guys knew you were laid up and thought they would give the FBI a break." It wasn't completely untrue. It was a quiet week for their team. He was starting to wonder if the higher ups took pity on them. "I have the morning off. Once I get you settled at Charlie's I'll head back to the office."

Again, Colby felt a warmth spread across his chest. "You know you don't have to do this. I…"

"Yes, I do. You're my agent and you were injured in the line of duty. As your boss, it's my job to ensure you have the best care while you're laid up and that care happens to come in the form of the Eppes family." Don told him, matter-of-factly. He heard a chuckle that was stopped short by a gasp of pain. "You okay?" He asked, resisting the urge to check his friend back into the hospital.

"Yeah." Colby breathed. "Just don't make me laugh. It hurts."

Don smiled, "Well, you know, that's a bit hard…funny as I am."

"Ow! Don!"

"Sorry, buddy."

* * *

Granger couldn't believe what he saw when they drove up Charlie Eppes's crescent driveway. A wooden ramp was built that lead up to the front door. And it wasn't one that looked temporary. It was made of hard timber, painted to match the colour of the house. It came out, perpendicular to the door, to the steps and stretched out until it touched the driveway. "Don…"

"It was a team effort." Don paused a little, knowing his next words would have an impact. "David did most of the work. He said you were very independent and even though you won't be in the wheelchair for long, you'd still want to be able to get around on your own."

Colby felt a pang at the mention of his partner's name. So he'd rather be doing this than visit him in the hospital. "Explains why he never came to visit."

Don sighed, he knew Colby felt his best friend's absence during the days after he came out of the coma. "Give him time, Colby. He'll come around."

Colby smirked, "Do you know what I've heard the most of after waking up?" Don shook his head. "How close I'd come to dying? You, Megan, Liz, Charlie, Alan and Amita. Even Professor Fleinhardt." Don waited for Colby to get to his point. "If David hasn't already, he's not going to come around."

Don sighed sadly. "You may not know it, but the days after you came out of surgery David never left your side."

Colby rubbed his eyes, tired of tension between him and his partner. "I knew it. It's blurry but I remember him talking to me."

"So that proves he's put all the triple agent thing behind him, right?"

"He's still avoiding me so there's something else going on and I'm sick of being the only one making the effort!" Colby tried to relax himself when his abdomen complained.

"Hey, take it easy." Don placed a gentle hand on his agent. "You and David will work things out. Just be patient."

Colby visibly packed away his emotions and turned to his boss with a smile. "I have nothing but time right?" He let the issue go. This was between him and David. Don had enough to deal with without worrying about the two of them. "Let's get in there so you can get back to catching the bad guys."

Don chuckled and nodded, but both their smiles faded when Don exited his truck. Both not wanting the other to see what they were really feeling. Colby was hurt by his partner's behaviour. He had hoped after almost dying twice, it would warrant at least an appearance from David. Don was angry. He knew how much pain David was unintentionally causing his partner, but there was little he could do, short of ordering David to visit him.

Charlie emerged from the house followed by his father, Alan. Colby looked up and gave a genuine smile to the two men. The Eppes men were truly amazing people. It wasn't just Charlie's skills in Maths. He had the biggest heart. Out of everyone, Charlie was the happiest to see him after he cleared his name.

Alan was the wisest and kindest man he'd ever met. It wasn't hard to see where his sons get their big hearts. Charlie was good at Maths and Don was good at catching bad guys but Alan was just good at living. This amazing man raised two equally amazing men. When Colby started his own family, being half as great of a father as Alan would be more than enough.

"Hey Charlie, come help me out." Don called over his little brother. Charlie jogged down the ramp. "Hold onto the wheelchair."

"Sure thing." Charlie smiled at Colby. "How are you doing, Colby?"

"Better and thank you for letting me stay here. I'll try to get out of your hair as soon as possible." Colby promised.

Charlie waved away the comment at the same time Alan called out. "Don't be silly. I'll enjoy the company! Stay as long as you want."

Charlie turned back to Colby and shrugged. "He's very generous with my house, but he's right. You're welcome for as long as you need."

"Thanks."

"Come on. Let's get you inside and you can talk there." Colby nodded and turned himself so that his legs were outside car. "That's good. Okay, let me do the work here. Don't try to help." Don told him as he reached under Colby's arm and pulled him into a bear hug, lifting him up and gently depositing him in the wheelchair. He knelt down to make sure Colby was okay.

"I'm good." Colby assured him.

Don smiled and nodded. He stood and nudged his head towards the house. "Are you and dad okay to get Colby settled in?" He looked at his watch. "I need to get back to the office."

"Yeah, we're good. We have the sofa set up for him. We'll be fine." Charlie gave Colby's shoulder a squeeze.

"Okay. Call me if you need anything. I'll see you later, Colby."

"Yeah, see ya, Don."

* * *

Inside, Alan and Charlie managed to get Colby onto the couch, which would be his bed for the next few weeks. He was propped up by a mountain of pillows and covered with a quilt. Colby didn't realise how exhausted he was from the short trip from the hospital. He closed his eyes and before he knew it he was gone.

Charlie frowned as he looked down at the agent. It was unnerving to see how weak Colby was. To him, Colby almost seemed like superman. He remember the case where a child was kidnapped and the kidnapper made Colby run to different points in the city with a bag full of $3.2 million. It wasn't right, seeing him laid up like this.

"Hey!" Came a loud whisper from behind him. "You know it's creepy to watch someone sleep."

Charlie jumped a little before rolling his eyes at his dad. "I'm not watching him sleep, just not used to seeing him so weak."

Alan sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Your brother and his team are all so strong and fit that this…" He gestured to the sleeping Colby, "is just wrong."

"Yeah, exactly." He turned away, thinking if he kept staring then it would really start to get creepy. "Come on, dad, let's have a game of chess." They set up their game on the dining room table so that they could still keep an eye on Colby.

* * *

 **FBI Headquarters...**

Megan was finalising the paperwork on a case they worked on the past few days. Homeless men were turning up dead in the past week. All of them had similar physical attributes. It turned out the killer was trying to find the one who had witness his son drive away from a hit and run. Megan shook her head at the length a father would go to for his son. She looked up when she heard the lift doors open, smiling when she saw it was Don. "Hey David! Don's back."

David looked up, trying to look casual even though he was itching to ask Don how Colby was. Megan rolled her eyes at him. "Don't worry. I'll ask. You can just listen in." She waited for her boss to reach her pen. "How is he?"

Don stopped and leaned against the glass panel. "Tired…" he thought about how else he could describe the injured agent. "In pain…" He saw out of the corner of his eye how David sat up at those words. "He keeps saying he's good but he's exhausted. Physically and mentally." Don finally turned to David, who sat back, trying to look casual again. "He's grateful for the ramp." David just nodded. "But he's probably wondering why making the ramp was more important than paying him a visit at the hospital."

David sighed in frustration. "Don, don't start…"

"Yeah, whatever. I'm done with trying to convince you to talk to him. Let him keep thinking that you hate him if that's what you want." Don was about to walk away when David spoke up.

"I don't hate him."

Don spun around on him. "You think I don't know that! I saw how you stayed by him for an entire week but you weren't there when he was conscious enough to notice! He's tired and confused, David and trust me when I tell you that all this crap between the two of you is hindering his recovery!" He shook his head in disappointed at David's lack of response. "Why am I even bothering?"

Megan watched her boss head to the break room before getting up and sitting on the edge of David's desk. "He's right, you know. This can't be good for Colby."

David let out a long breath. "I know but I can't face him right now. That bullet was meant for me. After everything I've put him through, he still took a bullet for me."

"Yeah?..." Megan shrugged, "So you're punishing him because…"

"I'm not punishing him. I just think it's better if I stayed away. He doesn't need to see me. He's probably mad as hell and seeing me would just put more stress on him."

Megan shrugged, "Maybe…maybe not, but I do think that it should be his choice, not yours." She stood up when another thought came to mind. "Why do you think he took that bullet for you?" When she saw the shock look on David's face, she knew she'd put him on the right track. She just hoped he would arrive at his destination sooner rather than later. "Think about it, David."

* * *

Don headed over to Charlie's house, deciding to stay there a few nights just to watch over Colby and to give his father and brother a break. It's been too close on too many occasions for Don. He needed to see his agent to make sure that he truly was still breathing. Including the time on the freighter, Colby's heart had stopped three times. He knew that that could cause permanent damage, but the doctor had assured him that there will be no lasting effects. Still, he worried.

Don entered the front door. "Hey…"

"Ssssh…" Alan and Charlie both sounded as he came through the door. He looked over to where they were pointing and winced when Colby stirred, slowly waking up from his slumber. "Oh well…he's due for his meds anyway." Charlie tried to dissuade the guilt he could see on his brother's expression.

"Yeah?" Don berated himself. He should've known there was a good chance that Colby would be asleep. He put down his keys, wallet and phone on the dining table before walking over to his friend and sitting on the coffee table. "Hey." He said softly as Colby tried to rub away the grogginess. "Sorry to wake you."

Colby squinted at the man next to him. "Hey, I thought you were heading to the office?" His voice was croaky from being dry.

Charlie came over with Colby's meds and a glass of water. At Don's confusion he filled in, "Colby's been asleep since you left."

"Oh…" Don said, finally understanding, but it was Colby's turn to be confused.

"How long have I been asleep?" Colby took the antibiotics and the glass of water from Charlie. "Thanks." He downed the pills, sighing in relief as the water ran down his dry throat.

Don looked at his watch. "About eight hours."

Colby's eyes widened in shock. "Eight…oh man. I'm sorry, Charlie. I didn't even realise I fell asleep."

Charlie waved away the apology. "No need. It's not like you snored the entire time. Dad and I were enjoying our day of chess."

"That's right, Colby. Clearly you weren't any trouble at all." Alan told him from next to Charlie. "But you really should eat something. I made pasta, are you up to eating a little?"

"Yeah, that's..." Colby closed his eyes as the pain in his chest and abdomen started to intensify.

Don turned to Charlie who pulled out a couple of the white pills from the bag, handing it to him. "Take these."

Colby eyed the white pills and nodded. "Thanks." He washed them down with the rest of the water in the glass. Don took the glass off him and put it on the table next to him.

"Do you want to eat here or at the dining table?" Don asked, hoping to get Colby's mind off the pain until the painkillers kicked in.

Colby eyed the dining table near the front door. "Here. The table's a little far right now."

Don smiled, proud that his agent was willing to admit to his limitation. "Fair enough."

Charlie and Alan left to get their meals ready, leaving Don and Colby to talk. "I'm really starting to feel like an invalid."

"Pfff…" Don scoffed, "a bullet tore up your insides. You're entitle to some R & R."

"Yeah, this wouldn't be so bad if I could at least walk around on my own."

"One step at a time, Colby. This isn't forever. Your next visit with the doctor is in two weeks. If everything goes as plan you should be on your feet after that." Don tried to placate his friend.

"Yeah, I hope so." Colby groaned at the ache in his back. "Can you help me sit up? I think I've been lying down for too long. My back's complaining."

"Of course."

* * *

They ate dinner around the coffee table, making sure Colby felt like he was a part of the family. Don worried at the way Colby poked at his pasta but barely put any in his mouth. It seemed he wasn't the only one to notice. "The pasta not to your taste, Colby?" Alan asked.

"What?" Colby looked up, confused before looking down at his full plate. "No…I mean yes…it is. I just feel a little queasy all of a sudden."

Don immediately picked up the bag of meds and pulled out the pink pills. "Here. Doc said you might feel this way after weeks of hospital food."

Colby took the meds from his boss with a wry smile. "You know, Don, if you ever decide to change careers you should think about nursing."

"What?!" Don playfully shoved his agent, laughing with the rest of the family. "You wait until you're on your feet and you'll start getting your badass FBI boss back."

Colby chuckled, "Yeah, can't wait for that day to come."

Alan gave him a kind smile, "One day at a time, Colby…one day at a time."

Colby nodded, slowly…looking a little doubtful. Each day just seemed too long.

* * *

In an abandoned cabin about 10 miles east of the Eppes Residence, three men lead by a Chinese intelligence agent were looking over plans. Unbeknownst to Don and his team, they have been under surveillance by these men since Colby was admitted to the hospital. They've been patient as they watched Don Eppes's team and family. Zhang Wen Hua, better known as Lung Tou (Dragon Head), had been apart of the intelligence agency for over twenty years. He was the one responsible for the intel being relayed to them. He and Lancer grew up together. When Lancer was placed in the DOJ, Lung Tou was his correspondence. All information went through him first. He was disgraced when his agency discovered the information they've been receiving was bad. Apparently it was his job to vet the intel. Now Lancer was dead and Lung Tou was kicked out of the agency he had given half his life to. Lung Tou will not be letting this go so easily. Lancer's death had to be avenged, but more importantly, his name must be restored. Colby Granger was the key to this. He was the one who had played them for the last two years and he will pay with his life. He will finish what Lancer had started and the FBI Agent's body will be brought back to China with him to prove to his agency that they were wrong to let him go.

* * *

 **Two weeks later…**

Charlie helped a grinning Colby out of his car. They have just returned from the hospital. After two weeks of being in a wheelchair and confined to the house, Colby was finally deemed fit enough to walk on his own but only with the help of a cane. Colby looked up at ramp and then at the steps to the house. "I think I'll take the steps today!" Colby declared.

Charlie laughed, "The little things in life, huh?"

"You have no idea, Charlie." Colby was still grinning as he slowly made his way to the steps.

"Judging by the look on your face, I think I have a little." Charlie bounced up the stairs to open the door.

Colby narrowed his eyes at him. "Show off." Charlie laughed at him. "You wait until I'm a hundred per cent, I'll run circles around you."

"Agent Granger, I have no doubt you can run circles around me when you are only at 50%." Charlie looked at him as if he was crazy. "I mean I'm not much of a challenge." He held the door open for his temporary housemate.

"I'll start with you and work my way up to your brother." Granger informed him. "So where did you say Mr Eppes was today?" He frowned when Charlie didn't answer. "Charlie?" He turned around and froze, blood draining from his face.

As soon as Colby had passed him to enter the house, Charlie felt an arm snake around his neck and a barrel of a gun against his head. Another man, Chinese, appeared in front of him holding a finger to his lips, telling him to be quiet. He was manhandled through the door without making a sound.

"Charlie?" Charlie watched the colour drain from Colby's face. He saw the agent's jaw clench, getting ready to take on whatever he had to, but he also saw fear in his eyes. Charlie knew it wasn't fear for his own life but for Charlie's.

"Agent Granger. It's nice to place a face to a name I've heard of for the past two years." The man spoke very clear English.

"What do you want?" Granger asked through his teeth.

"You don't know me. You can consider me Lancer's counterpart." Granger stiffened at the mention of that name. This was supposed to be over.

"What do you want?" Granger asked again, slowly.

Lung Tou smiled at him, "You've caused me a lot of trouble, Agent Granger."

Granger shrugged, "You know how it is in the Spy game. If you can't take the heat you really shouldn't play."

Lung Tou's smile faded, "You embarrassed me. I lost the respect of my agency. You made me lose face!"

Granger grimaced at those words. "I never really liked that term. I mean what does it mean to lose face. How does one lose their face?"

Charlie knew what Granger was doing. He was trying to buy as much time as he could but he wasn't sure angering this man was the best way of going about it. "You think this is funny?!" Lung Tou stormed up to Granger, getting right in his face. "Let's see you laugh now." With that, he jabbed his gun, hard into Colby's abdomen.

"AAAAHHHH!" Colby dropped to the floorboards wrapping his arms around his middle.

"Colby!" Charlie struggled with his captor but the man was much stronger than he was. "Colby!"

"Grrrr…" Colby growled as he tried to get the pain under control. He laid there panting, sweat running down his temple, as the pain started to fade, leaving him weak.

Lung Tou knelt down next to the FBI Agent. "Remember that pain Agent Granger, because the next time you feel pain, it'll make that feel like a pin prick."

"Ah Ming," He spoke into this walkie. "Kai che guo lai! Kuai!" _Bring the car over. Quickly!_ "Time to go, Agent Granger." Lung Tou grabbed him by the arm and hauled him to his feet.

Colby grunted as he tried to supress another scream of pain. "You…don't…need him." He stumbled as he was dragged past Charlie.

"Oh I think he'll be a nice incentive to ensure your cooperation."

"Cooperation in what?" Colby thought this guy just wanted him dead.

He zipped tied Colby's hands behind his back before shoving him into the back of a black van. "To not escape while I prolong your suffering."

The other man was about to shove Charlie in but was stopped by Lung Tou. "Careful, Pao. This is a brilliant mind. We don't want to damage it yet. He stepped aside and extended his arm, inviting Charlie into the van. "Please, Professor Eppes. Your work in physics is impressive." Colby wanted to laugh at that but he was wise enough not to. He laid there on his side, his head resting on the metal floor of the van. Charlie step up into the car and sat himself at Colby's head, resting back against the side of the van. He was confused. Why did this man think he was a physics professor?

The door of the van closed. Charlie waited for the car to start before he spoke. "Lift your head up, Colby."

"Huh? Why?" Colby asked even as he did as he was told. Charlie shuffled himself over until his thigh was under Colby's head.

"There. Better?"

Colby hesitantly lowered his head down onto Charlie's leg, resting it there. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Why does he think I'm a professor of physics?"

Colby couldn't help but laugh at that. "When I first joined the team, the Chinese wanted information about all of you. I don't know why. Maybe just to keep tabs on me. It took one case to know none of you could be a mole and I didn't want to compromise your safety, so along with all the other bad intel, I fed them misleading information about all of you. Not outright lies, just mixed up the information a little. The less they know the better."

Charlie nodded, finally understanding. "But shouldn't they be able to run background checks on each of us?"

Colby shrugged. "They should've but they were cocky. Thought they had me in the bag and none of you posed a threat to their mission. They wanted information that could help them get an advantage over the U.S. if it ever came down to any conflict."

"So not only were you not betraying your country but you were protecting us as well." Charlie smiled, "You really are a hero, Colby."

"Nah, just someone doing his job." Colby replied, casually.

Charlie shook his head and closed his eyes. As he was talking to Colby, he was also drawing a map in his head. He counted the seconds passed before making turns so that he could get an accurate map of where they were going. "I really hope you're doing your thing, professor, because I'm not in any shape to get us out of here." Charlie could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

"It's okay, Colby. You rest. I'll figure this out." Charlie spoke with confidence that he didn't feel. He had no problem working out where they were going but getting that message to Don was a whole other problem.

Colby closed his eyes. His lips curled up. Charlie's come a long way since the first day he met him. There was a sort of courage that wasn't there before. It wasn't that Charlie wasn't brave back then. He always has been but now his action lacked the reluctance it used to have.

* * *

 **FBI Headquarters.**

Liz Warner walked up to Don's cubicle and handed him an envelope. "This came for you. It's from the NSA?" Don looked at the package suspiciously. He could only think of one reason why NSA would be sending him anything. "You think it may have something to do with Colby?" Don nodded solemnly. "Only one way to find out." Liz extended her arm out further, encouraging her ex-boyfriend to take the envelope off her.

Don took it, shaking his head as he un-winded the string holding down the flap. By now, Megan and David had surrounded their boss's table. "Whatever is in this, we are not telling Colby about it unless it's to do with his safety. Got it?" He eyed each of his agents, waiting for them to nod their affirmation. "Good. Colby's had enough of this shit to last a lifetime." Don pulled out the file and opened it to read. He frowned as he flipped through the pages.

"What is it?" Megan asked for all of them.

"I don't know. These are pictures from the airport immigration security cameras." Don handed the pictures to David and Liz. "And these are files on the three men."

"These pictures were taken almost a month ago. Not long after Lancer died." David didn't like this.

"It says here these men are ex-Chinese Intelligence and are known to be in contact with Lancer up until his death." Don leaned back in his chair, not sure what to make of the information.

"Up until Lancer's death, NSA didn't even know who he was. How is it that they have so much information now?" This was getting weird.

"This information was given to them by the Chinese Intelligence Agency. I think they're making this guy a scapegoat. They're claiming they didn't know anything about Lancer and this man…Lung Tou's…operation. They were working outside of their knowledge." Don rubbed his chin, looking at the date on the file. "They've been sitting on this for weeks, probably wondering if we needed to know."

"So why do you think they decided we need to know now?" David thought out loud. "Unless they think…"

Don's head shot up at him. "He's here for Colby!" He grabbed his jacket. "David, you're with me. Liz, Megan call L.A.P.D to send a squad car over to Charlie's and wait there until we arrive."

"We're on it!"

David and Don got in the elevator. "Do you think they're really after Colby? It's been weeks and we haven't seen any sign of anyone suspicious."

"Better safe than sorry." Don told him as they exited the lift to where their cars were parked. "Get Colby on the phone." David already had the number dialled. Getting in the car he hung up and tried again, hoping that Colby was just sleeping.

Don pulled out his own phone and dialled Charlie. He knew he was with Colby today. They had a doctor's appointment and Charlie had sent him a message to report on the good news. "Pick up, Charlie." The call connected. "Charlie! Thank goodness. Are you with Colby?" David hung up his phone and listened in on the speakerphone.

"Donnie, it's your father. Charlie's not here."

Don and David exchanged cautious looks. "Where are they, dad?"

"I…I don't know. I got home and the door was wide open with no sign of Charlie or Colby, but Charlie's car is out in the driveway…" Don could hear the hesitation in his father's voice.

"What else, dad?"

"There's a cane on the floor. I'm guessing it's Colby's."

David slammed his hand against the car door. "This can't be happening."

"Okay." Don ran his fingers through his hair. "Um…dad, don't touch anything. The police are on their way. Tell them what you know. I'll be there soon."

"Don…" David was begging him to tell him this wasn't happening again. "We've almost lost him twice already…I can't…"

"It's going to be okay. He's with Charlie. With Colby's street smarts and Charlie's Maths, they'll find a way to get us a message." Don tried not to think about what could be happening to his little brother at the moment. "We'll find them…both…alive." David looked at the grip Don had on the steering wheel. His knuckles turned white.

"We'll get Charlie and Colby back, Don." David had to stay positive. His boss could very well lose the most important person in his life today. He couldn't lose control because he felt guilty about Colby. That could wait until they get them back.

* * *

 **Three hours later…**

"Colby…" Colby felt as if his whole body was on fire. Lung Tou wasted no time in getting his revenge for Lance. They had stripped him of his shirt and tied him to a chair. His arms were pulled behind him and fastened together with zip ties. His legs were tied to the legs of the wooden chair. His feet were sitting in a metal basin filled with water. For the last two hours they were shocking him through the electrical wires taped to his chest. The shocks were given randomly and at different intensities by a machine. They didn't even ask any questions. Only sat there and watched as his body spasmed. It finally stopped fifteen minutes ago after Colby had passed out for the third time.

"COLBY!" Charlie called again when he noticed his friend was about to lose consciousness again. He was tied to a chair against the wall, forced to watch as they tortured Colby. "Come on, Colby. Talk to me."

Finally, Colby found the strength to lift his head. His vision was blurry but he could just make out the figure in front of him. "Charlie." The name came out more like a breath rather than a word. He tried again. "Charlie?" Better.

"Oh thank god. I thought you were dead."

Colby scoffed, then winced at the sharp pain it caused. "Close." He closed his eyes tight and shook his head, trying to get rid of the cobwebs. When he opened his eyes again his vision was clearer. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

Charlie shook his head. "No. They've barely looked my way." He could see Colby visibly relax at hearing those words. _Of course he would worry about me. That's what soldiers did…put the lives of others before their own._

"Do you know where we are?"

"Looks like in the cellar of an abandoned cabin."

"We need to get out of here." Colby looked around the room. Aside from the table where his torture machine was sitting on, there was nothing else in the room. "At least they left the light on. I hate the dark."

Charlie smirked, "Way to look on the bright side."

"It's the key to life, Charlie." Colby felt around the back of his chair. There was a nail sticking out the back but he had to work at it a little more to get it out. "So tell me what you know, professor." Colby requested, hoping to get the genius's mind going and off of their current predicament.

"Well, we are about 10.2 miles north of my house which places us in the middle of Yates Forest. Judging by the turns, speed and distance the latitude is 34.323785 and longitude -118.016678."

Colby looked at Charlie in awe. "How is it, that after years of working with you, you can still scare with what you can do?"

Charlie laughed, "It's the way I'm wired."

"Too bad that information is useless unless we can get it to your brother." Colby closed his eyes and tried to formulate a plan. He continued fiddling with the nail. It was stubborn, that's for sure.

"Well, that's your department. I've done my part."

Colby smirked, "Thanks. No pressure, right?"

Charlie was about to reply when the door to the cellar opened above them. "Oh excellent." Came the annoying voice. "You're awake. I was worried I had killed you." He bounced down the steps. Charlie was beginning to wonder if this man wasn't just a little…not all there. He could see that Colby was thinking the same thing. Lung Tou walked up to the table next to Colby. "I was thinking about what you said about me being lazy."

Colby frowned and tilted his head to the side so that he could talk to Charlie. "Did I say that?" Charlie nodded. "Oh…why?"

Charlie shrugged, "Something about him using a machine to torture you rather than doing it himself."

"Oh…" Colby looked up at his torturer. "Sorry, must have been delirious with the pain. You don't have to take my comments to heart. It's really just some constructive feedback." Charlie shook his head but he couldn't help the smile that formed. Colby always did have a smart mouth. He wished he would learn to keep it shut.

"Which is why I took your comment under advisement, Agent Colby, I think you had a point. I need more hands-on experience with torturing people. Lancer always did say that was my weakness." He opened up a piece of white cloth, revealing the contents within. Colby froze, genuine fear ran through him. Lung Tou smiled at him. "I see you're familiar with this kind of torture."

Colby started trembling. "Please…"

Charlie frowned at the quiet word that was spoken with desperation. He craned his neck to see what was on the table.

Needles.

Vials.

"Oh god. Come on, man. You don't have to do this." Charlie begged the man, struggling in his chair. "You can't. He's not going to survive that."

"Don't worry, Professor Eppes. It's milder than Lancer's concoction and it's only the one kind. I don't remember the scientific name but it's the one that stimulates his pain receptors and causes hallucination." Lung Tou held up the vial and filled the syringe. "I want to prolong your suffering so I'll start with the mild dose."

Colby clenched his teeth, pulling at his bindings. "Please don't…"

"No?" Lung Tou tried to look sympathetic. "Perhaps I'll give it to the professor then."

"NO!" Colby panicked. "No…just… Just give it to me. Leave him alone."

Lung Tou looked between them curiously. "Interesting how you seem to care so much about Professor Eppes. Perhaps, torturing him is more effective." He started towards Charlie.

"Don't. Please. Leave him alone." This had nothing to do with Charlie. Colby was the triple agent. He's the one who's been giving them bad intel. "I'll tell you whatever you want…just…just leave him alone." Charlie swallowed as he stared at the needle that was getting closer and closer to him. Colby could see the fear in Charlie's eyes. Lung Tou rubbed at the vein in the back of Charlie's hand. "HEY! Asshole!" Colby called out in desperation, turning the man's attention back to himself. "Tell me something. Why did your agency send Lancer here instead of you?" Colby watched as the man stiffened. He'd hit a nerve. Colby couldn't believe his luck, he found this man's button and he was going to push it until he forgets that Charlie was even here. "It's not because Lancer's white, is it? It's because he's better than you. You couldn't pull off such a sophisticated operation. You sure as hell couldn't get yourself so high up in the DOJ."

"You don't know what you're talking about. Lancer was like a brother to me." Lung Tou growled at him. He still hadn't moved from Charlie's side so Colby kept going.

"Really? Because Charlie's like a brother to me, that's why I call him _Charlie._ You keep calling Lancer, Lancer. Why don't you call him, Mason or Mace or Macey."

"That's just what I like to call him."

Colby pretended to think about that then shrugged. "I guess that could be normal, after all the Chinese do put their family name first." Lung Tou smirked, thinking he had won this verbal battle and turned back to Charlie. "But then again, I just think it's because you don't like the guy at all. The Chinese Intelligence obviously believe in his ability over yours otherwise they would have sent in one of their own."

"Lancer was one of us."

"Lancer was still an outsider…in a way. You know the way Lancer handles a needle, there is precision and…elegance. But you? You're kind of clumsy."

"Shut up!" Colby smirked. He's definitely hit a nerve.

"Yeah, Colby, why don't you do what he says?" Charlie worried for his friend's safety. This man was clearly unhinged.

"I don't think the Chinese Intelligence Agency kicked you out because of my bad intel. That was just their excuse. They've wanted you out all along. My guess is that Lancer has always looked after you and refused to do the job unless you were apart of it, but he also knew how useless you were so he kept you in China as the receiver." Colby grinned at the vein bulging out of Lung Tou's head. "You're just a glorified messenger."

"SHUT UP!" Lung Tou stormed up to him and kicked him in the chest, sending Colby backwards and slamming his head against the dirt ground in the cellar. Colby's vision blacked at for a second before he was yanked back up right. A hand wrapped around his throat, cutting off his air. "I'll show them that they should've chosen me. I'll bring you and the professor back home and prove them all wrong. I am the best agent they have!"

Colby's lips were turning blue. "Hey! Stop it! You're killing him. You're killing him!" Charlie called out desperately. "I thought you wanted to prolong this. If you kill him now it's all over. No more play time for you!" Charlie wanted to throw up just saying those words, but if it kept Colby alive, then he'll say it again. "HEY!"

Colby was about to lose consciousness when he was release. He sucked in air, desperately, coughing through the restricted airway. The sound, wretched as it was, was music to Charlie's ears.

Lung Tou stood and calmed himself, straightening his shirt cuffs. "You are right as I would expect of a professor of your level." Charlie frowned at the about turn the man took. He eyed Colby who was still trying to get more air into his deprived lungs. "However, Agent Colby must still be punished for his blatant disrespect."

Colby shook his head at him. "You're crazy."

Lung Tou ignored him and picked up a new syringe and vial. "I believe the strongest dose is in order here. The pain should last three hours and the hallucinations will be hell." He promised Colby as he stepped behind Granger, emptying the contents into his veins. "I'll be upstairs listening to your screams." He left them alone.

"Colby…" Charlie was about to apologise but Colby interrupted him.

"Are you okay, Charlie?"

"What? Yeah… of course I am. He didn't even touch me thanks to you." Charlie said, incredulously.

"That was the plan." Colby slowed his breathing, hoping to slow the toxin.

"How did you know all that about him?"

Colby chuckled. "Lucky guess." He studied Charlie's worried expression. "Don't stress, professor. I'll get us out of here." He felt for the nail and smiled. Lung Tou's kick had loosened it.

* * *

 **Eppes Residence:**

Don and his team sat around the living room. They've exhausted every connection they had and every clue they got ended at a dead end. Larry and Amita did what they could but they needed more data, without the data they could do nothing. Don looked around the room at the despair on everyone's faces. It was all he could take. He got up and walked into the wreck room. David was about to follow when Alan gestured for him to sit. "I'll go."

Alan opened the mini bar and handed Don the beer. "You'll find them, Donnie. You always do."

Don sat on the stool, resting his feet on the pool table. "I don't know, Dad. Every other time I had Charlie to pull out something from nothing. Now he's the one in trouble and no one can do what he can do." Don tried to keep his voice from breaking. "These guys are good. They've managed to avoid every traffic cam. Not even the neighbours saw anything."

"You can't give up, Don. Charlie and Colby are out there and just because we've hit a dead end, doesn't mean they have. There is no way they're giving up so we have to be ready on our side. I know my son. He'll get himself out of this and the first thing he'll do is call you. Be ready, Donnie." Alan pulled his oldest into his arms. "I love you, son."

* * *

Colby's hands trembled as the toxin started to take effect. His breathing was more labored. "Colby, are you okay?"

Colby nodded. "I'm…fine." He concentrated on the nail in his hand. "I've almost got it."

"Got what?"

"My bindings…" Colby bit back a cry when the nail slipped and cut his wrist. "God…"

"Colby, you don't look too good."

"You're just jealous." Colby refocused on his bindings.

Charlie couldn't bring himself to crack a smile at the attempted joke. "Colby, even if you get out of the bonds, how are we getting out of here?"

"Charlie, you're the genius mathematician. I'm the soldier. If together, we can't find a way out of this, I may as well kill myself now." Snap! Colby grinned and pulled his arms back around to the front of him. "See?" He moved his arms and shoulders, trying to get the stiffness out of them. Bending over the used the nail to cut through the ties at his legs. Stepping out of the tub of water he walked over to Charlie and made quick work of his ties.

"How's your Chinese?" Colby asked Charlie. Charlie rubbed at his wrists, trying to bring back the blood flow. "I can say hello."

Colby scoffed, "You and everyone else. We need to get the guy upstairs down here so I can take him out."

"Guy? There are 3 guys."

Colby shook his head. "No. Two of them left about fifteen minutes ago, probably to grab some food."

"How do you know two of them left?"

"I heard two car doors slam." Colby moved over to the table and leaned against it, heavily. The pain was getting worse.

"Colby…"

"I'm fine. Just give me a second." Colby wiped away the sweat then eyed the machine sitting on the table. "Can you get that started?"

"Of course. Yeah." Charlie flipped some switches and Colby heard the machine whirl to life. "Now what?"

Colby swiped the wires together, watching them spark. "Perfect. Set it to the highest. I don't want to take any chances." Charlie nodded and turned the dial.

"So what's the plan?"

Colby held the wires in his hand and sat back down in the chair. "Go back to where you were then call out to him. Tell him you think I'm dead. He'll come down."

Charlie nodded, seeing Colby's plan now. Charlie sat back in position and looked at Colby nervously. Colby nodded for him to call out before dropping his chin to his chest, playing dead.

"Help! Someone help him! I think he's dying! Hey!" The door opened and the man called Pao stood at the entrance. "Hurry, help him…HELP HIM!"

Cautiously, Pao made his way down the stairs towards Colby. Colby could feel him standing above. Pao reach down to lift his head up by the chin. When he realized he's been had, it was too late. Colby touched the wires to the stomach, leaning back to make sure the man didn't touch him.

Charlie's eyes widened when Pao stiffened and shook on the spot before falling to the floor twitching. He got up and walked slowly over to him. "Is he dead?"

Colby shook his head. "No, so we better get out of here fast." He knelt down and grabbed the man's gun, knife and phone. "Let's go." He handed the phone to Charlie. There was no time to waste. "The others could be returning any minute. We better go. Stay right behind. Do not leave my side, got it?" Charlie nodded his head. On their way out of the cabin, Colby spotted his shirt hanging over a chair. "Would've preferred my shoes." He mumbled to no one in particular as he pulled it on.

As soon as they got outside they quickly made for the direction of the main road. It was their best chance. Colby was like a soldier on a mission. He didn't slow down at all. Charlie found it hard to keep up. "Colby wait!" Colby turned around. "Just give me a second to send a message to Don."

"What? Just call him."

Charlie shook his head. "I think the shock you gave him may have shorted the battery. There's only enough left to send a message."

Colby nodded. "Okay. Hurry up." He stayed alert, covering Charlie from the direction of the cabin. A feeling of panic started to rise in him. "Charlie, hurry, someone's coming." Out of the corner of his eyes he saw movement. He swung his gun around, ready to shoot but there was no one. Another movement to his left, but again when he turned that way, there was no one. "Charlie…"

"Alright, I'm done." Charlie tucked the phone into his pocket. He was right about the battery. It died as soon as the message was sent. If they were lucky, Don may be able to track the phones GPS if the shocked hadn't disabled it. He looked over at Colby and saw how jumpy the agent was. "Colby?"

"They're coming." Colby started backing away. "Stay behind me."

Charlie looked around but saw no one. "Colby, there's no one here. Let's go." He pulled on his friends arm but pulled it back, as if he was burnt, when Colby bit back a cry of pain. "Sorry, I forgot about the drug."

Colby was trembling. "I'm okay." The drug. That's it. The adrenaline of escaping had made him forget the drug as well. He wasn't seeing anyone. He was hallucinating. "Charlie." He turned to the genius. "Take the gun."

"What? No!"

"You've had training. I saw your score." Colby held out the gun. "Just point and shoot. The drug is making me hallucinate. I'm going to shoot at trees soon."

Charlie reluctantly took the gun. "How are you still thinking so clearly?"

"The adrenaline. Let's keep going so it doesn't wear off."

* * *

 **At the house…**

Don was getting a glass of water in the kitchen when his phone beeped. It was a message from an unknown number. The message was also a bunch of numbers; 34323785118016678. He dialed the number, as he walked back to the others. "Hey guys. I just got this text from an unknown number. I can't call it back."

"Let me see?" Amita held out her hand. With Charlie's absence she was the numbers expert here. "The only person who would send you numbers would be…"

"Charlie." They all said together. "But what does it mean?"

David pulled out his phone. "Give me the number. I'll try to get its GPS signal."

"45328393" Amita read out to him. She walked over to the chalkboard and wrote down the numbers. "It could mean anything but this is Charlie."

Don nodded, "Right, Charlie would send me a message on his location."

"Exactly." Amita drew a line down the middle of the numbers and then put in decimal points. She looked at Don and watched the penny drop.

"Latitude and longitude!" Don grabbed his keys. "Let's go!"

David ran to his car. "No go on the GPS."

"Doesn't matter! We got them!"

* * *

Lung Tou arrived back and saw the front door of the cabin open. Furious, he broke into a run when Pao stumbled out. "Ta men tou le." _They've escape._

"Ben dan!" _Idiot!_ "Gen wo lai!" _Follow me!_ Lung Tou wasn't stupid. He knew they would head towards to main road and in Granger's condition they wouldn't get far.

* * *

Charlie followed closely behind Colby but kept an eye on their six as well. He knew Colby was trying to protect him but Charlie wasn't as weak as they may think. He could protect Colby too. He could see Colby restrain himself from reacting to whatever his mind's eye was seeing. Charlie prayed this would all be over soon. He wasn't sure Colby could hold out much longer and he was right. Colby's hand came out to rest against a tree, steadying himself. His other arm wrapped around his middle.

"Colby." Charlie placed a gentle hand on the man's back.

Slowly, Colby lowered himself to the ground, his back against the tree, drawing his knees up and wrapping his arms tightly around his middle. The drug must be intensifying the pain of his recent injury. "Colby, I know it hurts, but you have to get up."

"You have to go." Colby ordered through the pain, barely able to get his words out. "Go get help. I can't…"

"Yes you can. You can do it. I'm not leaving you." Charlie tucked the gun in his back and tried to help Colby up but all he got was a cry of pain from Colby. He let go, pulling his hand back. "God, Colby, what do I do?"

"Go!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Please Charlie. This has nothing to do with you. They want me. You can't die because of what I did." Colby begged the young man to leave. "I can't have your death on my conscience. Please go."

"I'm not…"

"No one is going anywhere." Charlie closed his eyes and turned around. His gun was in his belt. Colby tried to push himself up but it was futile to even try. He saw the gun Charlie had tucked in his belt and knew Charlie was giving them one more chance to get out of this. "Put your hands up, Professor Eppes." Charlie did as he was told, but he didn't get up. He could feel the gun slip from his belt. There was very little Colby could do with one gun against three. Charlie closed his eyes again and waited for Colby to make his move. Then the most beautiful words he's ever heard were spoken.

"Freeze! FBI!"

Charlie opened his eyes and smiled. Don. David. Liz. Megan. "Put your guns down and lay on the ground."

Charlie looked into Lung Tou's eyes and knew this man would not surrender. "Don't do any…" Lung Tou's finger pressed slightly on the trigger but that was as far as he got. David shot him in the head. The other two quickly dropped their guns and surrendered.

"Megan!" Don called to his second-in-command, telling her to handle the men on the ground. "Charlie, are you okay?" Don asked, running up to his brother. He almost reached him when Charlie was suddenly yanked away and he found himself looking down the barrel of a gun.

A gun held by Colby.

Don stopped dead in his tracks, slowly raising his hands. "Colby, what are you doing?"

"Don't come any closer." Colby warned him. Don took in his condition. He was sweating profusely, his breathing was labored, there was bruises around his neck and chest, as well as burn marks, his feet were bare and he was pale.

"What did they do to you?" Don asked, sorry that he couldn't get here sooner.

Charlie tried to step out from behind Colby but Granger's hold on him was relentless. "Stay behind me." He ordered, then spoke to Don again. "You're not touching him." Charlie didn't get where the strength had come from.

"Colb, it's me, Don."

Colby frowned. He knew that name, but that was impossible. Don didn't know where they were. "This is a trick. The drugs…" Colby swayed but he kept his gun trained on Don.

"I'm really here, Colby." He gestured to the rest of the team. "We all are."

Colby tried to look at the people behind Don but the figures were all blurry. "No, no…you just want to tie me to that chair again."

David listened to his partner's words. Tied to a chair again. He could see the burn marks and bruises on Colby's chest. He's seen enough torture victims to know Colby was electrocuted. He clenched his fist. Why was this happening to Colby? What did he do to deserve this? "Colby…" Don's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. "You're safe now. We got the guys who did this to you."

Colby wanted to believe this man's words but he couldn't trust that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. He couldn't risk Charlie's life like that. "You're not taking him."

Don couldn't be more grateful to his agent for protecting his brother the way he did. He wasn't scared for his own life, he was scared for Charlie's. "He's my brother, Colby. I won't hurt him."

Colby shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "Stop lying to me! I'm not letting you take him anywhere!"

Charlie moved his head so that he could get a better view of his brother. He didn't know what to do. Should he just break Colby's hold on him? Don shook his head at him, telling him to not make a move. Charlie nodded. He trusted Don to get him and Colby out of this.

David knew he had to do something quickly. Colby needed medical attention right away. This stand-off had to end. He slowly backed away and made his way through the trees. Megan turned to him and saw what he was trying to do. She nodded, then deliberately made a sharp move in the other direction to draw Colby's attention.

"Don't move!" Colby yelled, stopping her in her tracks.

"I'm not moving." Megan told him, with her hands up. "I'm not moving, Colby." Her eyes scanned the area to find David. He was almost behind him now.

Don saw what David was about to do and got himself ready to move out of the line of fire, in case the gun went off. "Calm down, Colby. I'm not letting anything bad happen to you." That was when David made his move. He wrapped one arm around his partner while the other one pulled his gun arm up to the sky. The gun fired harmlessly into the trees.

"Aaah!" The pain of the action made Colby lose his grip on the gun and Charlie. Charlie stepped aside as David struggled to get his partner under control. "Let me go!"

Don grabbed his brother and pulled him into his arms. "Are you okay?" Charlie nodded before turning back to the struggling men.

"Charlie, get away!" Colby called out.

David had his friend in a bear hug, trapping Colby's arms to his side. He was too weak to break the hold. "Colby…Colby…Listen to my voice. It's David." Colby froze. "It's me…David."

"David?" Don watched the confusion cross Colby's face and it broke his heart. He's been waiting to hear from David for weeks and now that he's here, he couldn't trust that he wasn't hallucinating.

"Yeah, it's me."

Tears ran down Colby's face. He's been in hell for so long, he couldn't let himself believe that David was really here because he wasn't sure he would survive if the illusion fell apart. "This is a trick. Another form of torture; the cruelest one." He sagged in his captor's arms, no longer fighting him. "Just kill me."

David dropped to his knees at those words. He couldn't hold his partner up any longer, but he didn't let go. "It's really me, Colby." He couldn't stand the defeat in Colby's voice. This wasn't his partner. Colby never gave up. He always fought till the end. David whispered in Colby's ear. "Listen to me. I have been an A-One jerk the last couple of months." He cradled his friend in his arm as he spoke. It was no longer a tight hold because Colby wasn't struggling. Colby leaned back heavily against his friend. He had no strength to hold himself up. "There were so many things I should've done that I didn't. I should've believed in you more. I know you. You're my brother. You could never betray me." Colby listened to the words he's been longing for, for so long. "I should've told you that as soon as you returned to us, but I let my pride take over instead. I should've trusted you to watch my back at the warehouse. I should've visited you everyday after you woke up. I should've been there when you got out of hospital. There are so many thing I should've done, but didn't and I'm sorry." David hugged his friend to his chest. "I'm so sorry."

Colby listened to the words. They were genuine. This wasn't a hallucination. With the last of his energy he raised his hand and gripped one of the arms wrapped around his chest. "David." He whispered before giving in to the blackness.

David closed his eyes, he didn't even hide the fact that he was crying. Colby was finally back with them. "You're going to be fine, Colby."

Megan and Liz had tears in their eyes as they watched these two men, who were as close as brothers. They've been waiting for them to sort out the difference but David was stubborn and any effort on Colby's behalf was never reciprocated. The rift was finally on the mend. Megan just wished it didn't take another near-death situation for it to happen. She was pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of a vehicle nearing them. It was the ambulance.

Don knelt down in front of his agents. "David, ambulance is here. We need to get Colby to the hospital."

David nodded, reluctantly handing over his friend to the paramedics before standing up and wiping away his tears. Megan came over and hugged him. "I'm so proud of you." She pulled back. "Go be with Colby." David was about to leave when Don called out to him.

"Sorry brother but you'll need to speak to IA." Don nodded at Lung Tao's dead body. David was about to protest when Don held his hand up to stop him. "You know it's procedure and it's a clean shooting. The man held an FBI agent hostage. I'll head back with you to the office and speak to the investigating officer. It'll be a short interview." He had already by-passed procedure last time and IA gave him hell for it. If he didn't again, it would earn the team a full-blown investigation from IA.

David wanted to ignore his boss's orders and jump into the ambulance. So what? He'll be reprimanded for insubordination. Colby deserved more from him.

Charlie looked between David and Don, neither was going to back down, although in Don's case, he wasn't being stubborn, just doing his job. "Come on, David. You know it's procedure." He heard his brother say. "Charlie, why don't you go with Colby and get yourself checked out as well."

Charlie nodded and headed over to the ambulance when David stopped him. "Don't leave his side."

Charlie gave him a small smile. "Not an inch."

David sighed and let him go. He watched as the ambulance drove away with his injured friend. Don walked up to him. "Come on, lets get this over and done with." He led Don over to the car. "We'll see you girls back at the office."

* * *

 **Long Beach Memorial...**

harlie found himself fighting the nurses and orderlies to stay close to Colby. They were rolling him into the emergency ward and wouldn't let Charlie in. "Sir, you need to get yourself checked out. It looks like you've been through…"

"I'm fine!" Charlie yelled at the nurse and gestured to the door they rolled Colby through. "I need to be with him!"

"Sir, he's in good hands…"

"I know that, but he doesn't! You don't know what he's…"

Alan Eppes and Amita walked into the crowded waiting room and immediately heard the distressed voice of Charlie. "Charlie!" Alan called out.

Charlie stopped just for a second to acknowledge his dad before he turned back to the nurse. "He was given a strong hallucinogen. He's not in his right mind, if he wakes up and doesn't see someone familiar all hell will break loose…" Charlie looked the woman in the eyes. "His hell."

"Charlie, what's going on?" Amita asked her boyfriend. She turned him around to face her. "Are you okay?"

Charlie pulled away in frustration. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" He spread his arms to the side. "Look at me. Aside from needing a shower, I'm perfectly fine! Colby made sure of that and now I have to help him."

"Charlie, Charlie, calm down." Alan tried to placate his son. "I'm sure the doctors here know what they're…" Suddenly a commotion from behind the door, they had rolled Colby through, made everyone turn. A nurse came running out.

"Get security!"

"Colby." Charlie gasped and charged through the door, followed by Alan and Amita, ignoring the protesting nurse.

An area in the back corner of the ward was cleared of patients, doctors and nurses. Only one doctor was left there. Charlie recognized him as Dr Weinstein. "Agent Granger…" Charlie heard him say and immediately headed over there.

"Colby…" Charlie stopped when he saw his friend backed up against a wall, holding a scalpel and threatening anyone who came near him. Charlie tapped the doctor's shoulder, asking him step back and let him handle the situation. "Colby." Charlie said again, hoping Colby recognized him.

Colby squinted at him, not sure if he could believe his eyes. "Charlie?"

Charlie smiled. "Yeah, its me. What are you doing?"

Colby was trembling violently as he looked around the room. He tried to place where he was but his brain wouldn't process what he was seeing. "They were trying to tie me up again."

Charlie closed his eyes and turned, glaring at the doctor. The doctor put his hands out to tell him to wait before he started yelling at him. "When I got here he was already awake and trying to get out. The orderlies came in to restrain him."

Charlie accepted that answer for now only because his friend needed his full attention. "Colby…" He spoke as if speaking to a young child. "This is the hospital. You remember Dr Weinstein, right? He's here to help you."

Colby looked over at the doctor before talking to Charlie. "I don't trust them."

Charlie nodded, understanding. "That's okay. You don't have to trust them." He pointed to himself. "Just trust me." Charlie took a step closer. "Remember when you gave me the gun because you said you couldn't trust yourself? You trusted me to watch your back, to protect us. Remember?" He smiled when Colby nodded, slowly relaxing. "Then you know you can believe me when I tell you these people want to help you."

It felt like a lifetime before Colby dropped the scalpel and let himself sinking to the floor. Charlie rushed to his side before Colby could topple over as he lost his hold on consciousness. His head dropped to Charlie's shoulder. He waited to make sure Colby was completely unaware before he nodded to the doctor. Dr Weinstein and the orderlies worked quickly to get Colby into the bed. The doctor turned to Charlie but Charlie didn't let him talk. "I'm not leaving this room so whatever you have to do, do it around me."

Dr Weinstein smiled, "You took the words right out of my mouth."

Charlie sighed in relief. A hand on his arm caused him to jump. It was Amita and his father. He had forgotten they were there. "Well done, Son." Charlie gave him a small smile. "We'll wait outside." He gave Amita a quick hug before letting her go.

* * *

Three hours later David was storming through the hospital with Don and Megan running after him. The interview had taken longer than Don expected. The IA officer was a new one and wouldn't cut corners. It wasn't until Don called his superior that he finally closed the file on the shooting. To say David was pissed was an understatement. If the interviewer asked one more question, David would have pulled his gun on the man. But that wasn't the only thing David was furious about. Alan had called Don to fill him in on what had happened with Colby. Don relayed that information as soon as David was done with the interview. "Next time I won't give a damn about your orders or procedure!" David growled at him.

Just as David reached the door of Colby's room, Don grabbed his arm and whispered harshly. "I know you're pissed and you have the right to be but don't take that in with you. Colby's taken enough crap from you to last a lifetime. You walk in there like this and he'll take it the wrong way. So get that damn look off your face!"

David closed his eyes, relaxed his shoulders and put a fake smile on his face. He turned to Don. "Better?"

Don narrowed his eyes at him. David looked like The Joker! He sighed and shook his head. "I'll take what I can get."

Charlie stood from his post beside Colby's bed. "Hey." He whispered. Don nodded at him but David only focused on the man sleeping peacefully in the bed. Don left David to watch over his friend while he pulled Charlie to the window to get an update.

"What's the doctor say?"

Charlie took in a shaky breath. "Dr Weinstein said the muscles around his abdomen and chest, where they did the surgery, are inflamed but anti-inflammatory meds in his IV will fix that." Charlie looked over at Colby. "We're still waiting on the toxicology report."

"Is this the reward for protecting your country?" David asked, drawing their attention. He stood over his partner, hands tucked in his pocket to hide the shaking. "Colby put everything he loves on the line to get the mole in the DOJ and this is what he gets for it."

Don and Charlie exchanged identical sighs before Don stepped up to stand opposite David, looking down at Colby. "I agree with you. It's not fair and it hurts to think about what Colby went through at the hands of two psychos but what's done is done. What Colby needs now are his friends to get him through this."

David didn't take his eyes off Colby. "Don't worry. I plan to be there for him every step of the way. I'm not letting him do this alone. Not anymore." David promised as he reached down and squeezed Colby's hand. "You hear that, Colby? I'm right here."

At first David thought Colby was waking up, responding to his grip on him but he soon realized he was in the midst of a nightmare. His head started tossing from side to side. David leaned over. "Hey." David placed a hand on Colby's head, his thumb rubbing the crease lines across Colby's forehead. "You're safe. I've got you." He smiled when Colby started calming down. "That's it. Just relax."

"Nice. He responds to you." Don told him.

"Yeah, though I don't see why considering my actions in the past." David pressed the call button. "He's running a fever."

Don extended his own hand to feel Colby's brow. "Yeah, he's burning up." He was about to go out to get a doctor, too impatient to wait for someone to respond, when a nurse came in. "He's got a high fever." David reluctantly stepped aside for the nurse.

The nurse pulled out her thermometer and placed it in Colby's ear, waiting for the beep. Pulling it out she read the results. "105.3; that's high." She read his charts, "I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about that until his toxicology report comes back. We can't risk giving him anymore meds in case it reacts with the toxins in his bloodstream." She looked up at the two FBI Agents and knew her answer wasn't enough for them. "I'll page Dr Poon. He's the toxicologist."

"Thank you." Don said, knowing he and David were intimidating her and wanted to make her a little more comfortable. "Sorry." He looked down at his friend in the bed. "This is his third visit to the hospital. Each time we almost lost him."

"I understand. The doctor will be here soon to give you answers." She left the room, quickly.

Don turned back to Charlie. "Hey, you've had a hell of a day. Dad and Amita are waiting for you in the cafeteria. Get something to eat and go home."

Charlie couldn't take his eyes off Colby. "You know why I don't have a scratch on me and he's in that bed fighting nightmares and demons?"

"Charlie…" Don worried Charlie was getting something along the line of survivor's guilt.

"He kept their attention from me." Charlie continued talking, ignoring his brother's protest. "Lung Tao almost injected me with that stuff but Colby yelled and screamed at him until he'd completely forgotten about me." Charlie finally pulled his eyes away from Colby to speak to Don. "I know you wouldn't hesitate to do that for me but Colby…"

"is a good soldier and FBI Agent and he's an even better man." Don smiled at Colby. It would've meant the world to Colby to hear him say that. "And now I owe him a debt I can never repay." He turned and hugged his brother. "I don't know what I would've done if those men had hurt you."

"I knew you'd find us in time. You always do." Charlie pulled back. "I really need a shower."

Don chuckled, "Yeah, you do. Go home. I'll swing by afterwards."

Charlie took one more look at Colby before leaving them.

Don pulled a chair up to David and sat him down. "We're going to be here a while so lets sit down and relax." Don walked back over to the other side of the bed, making himself comfortable…well as comfortable as a hospital chair could be. "You know, you're going to have to get your head around all this stuff. You saw how he responds to you." David's expression told him he was doubtful of that. Don shook his head. "My psychologist told me I was worried that Colby's seen too much over in Afghanistan and I think he's right. I've never been over there. None of us have so I can't imagine the nightmare that place must be conjuring up for him right now." Don could tell that David was waiting for him to get to the point. "Your voice is the only thing that can drown out those demons in his head."

David scoffed at that. "I'm pretty sure I'm one of the demons."

Don wanted to pull his hair out because he knew David was talking out of guilt. "Was I the only one there who saw him stop struggling when you spoke?"

David shook his head angrily. "He stopped because he couldn't believe I was there. I haven't been there for him since we found him on the freighter, so why would I be there today?!"

"David…" Don could feel the guilty radiate off his agent.

"Don't try to tell me it's not true. You've been yelling for me to visit Colby but I couldn't bring myself to do it. You heard him, Don. I'm the cruelest torture of them all!" He recalled those words, diminished of all hope of surviving the ordeal. "His response was shock! Why would I be there? What reason have I given him that would tell him I would be there when he needed me. NONE!"

Don didn't know what to say to that and thankfully he was saved from responding when a young, Chinese doctor walked in. "Agent Reeves and Sinclair?" The Doctor held his hand out to them. "I'm Dr Poon, toxicologist on Agent Granger's case. Sorry about the wait." He flipped through the report on his clipboard. "Quinuclidinyl benzilate was the drug used."

David clenched his jaw. "Same drug used last time."

"Yes, I've read the report. However, there's more. Last time the dosage given to him was carefully measured." Dr Poon lowered his clipboard and looked them in the eye. "This time, it could've…should've killed him. It was almost double the amount and the toxin was not as clean. Your friend is lucky to be alive."

"What do you mean by 'not as clean'?" Don asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Quinuclidinyl benzilate was designed as an interrogation method. It wasn't meant to kill and therefore the pain inflicting side of it isn't as potent as the hallucinogen. In most people, the pain would've caused cardiac arrest." Dr Poon paused, allowing the information sink in. "Either your friend is extremely lucky or he has an extremely high pain threshold."

"Or both." David whispered.

"Dr Weinstein informed me of his recent injuries. It seems his hard work hasn't been damaged. Physically, Agent Granger will be fine but I would like to keep him sedated until the drugs in his system runs its course." The nurse came in then with a syringe and a vial. "This is a mild sedative." The doctor explained as he prepared the syringe. "I don't dare to give him anything stronger in case it reacts with the drugs in him." David had stepped back to give the doctor room to work.

Colby was aware of the voices around him, but they sounded so far away. He wondered where he was, finding it hard to focus his mind when his body seemed to want to kill him. He tried to open his eyes but they were too heavy, giving up with a groan. "Sounds like he's waking up. I would like to check his responses before giving him the injection."

 _Injection!_ Colby started panicking at that word. _No more injections! No more!_ With all the strength he could muster he forced his eyes open and grabbed the doctor's hand, which was holding the needle. "NO!" He looked up and saw the man holding the needle was Chinese. "You son of a bitch. I'm going to kill you!" Colby launched himself up but was suddenly pushed back against the bed by the shoulders. The doctor quickly backed away as Don and David restrained their friend.

"Colby! Colby!"

Colby struggled against the hands on him. "Get off me!"

"Colby!" David shook him hard, sending an intense pain throughout his body, but Colby ignored it. He had to escape. _Where's Charlie?_ Charlie was with him when he was captured. "Charlie!" Colby glared at the doctor. "Where Charlie, you asshole?! What did you do with him?!"

The doctor shuddered at deadly glared. He was sure if eyes could kill, he'd be dead. "Hold him still, Agents, I'll administer the sedative."

Colby froze, finally turning his eyes to the men holding him, but his eyes stayed on David. David's heart sank as Colby's gaze turned from deadly to despair. "David?" Colby's voice was filled with hopelessness. "You're with them?"

It took David a second to realize what Colby meant. Colby didn't know he was safe, in the hospital and seeing a Chinese man with a needle, he thought the obvious. He was back in the hands of the Chinese and David was helping them. "No…" David let go of Colby's shoulders and took his head between his hands. Don slowly backed off, allowing David to handle Colby. "No, Colby. Look at me. Listen to me. You're safe. Charlie's safe. You're at the hospital. Lung Tou is dead and his men are in custody. It's over."

Colby listened to the words, but they were hard to believe. He's been in pain for so long, it seemed like it'd never be over. "I wish I never owed Carter." Colby's eyes filled with tears, but he was valiantly trying to stop them from spilling over. "I thought I was protecting my country but I've hurt everyone who means anything to me." A tear escaped the corner of his eye. "I want to stop hurting, David."

David nodded and wiped away Colby's tear. "I know…I know… and you will. I promise."

"I'm tired."

David smiled. "Then go to sleep. I'll watch your back." He lifted himself up a little and turned to the doctor, nodding for him to inject the sedative. Colby looked at the doctor and stiffen, about to struggle again when David turned his head away from Dr Poon. "Hey, trust me. He's going to make you feel better. Trust me." The doctor administered the sedative.

Colby felt his eyes grow heavy, the pain reduced to a dull ache. "I do." He breathed as he gave in to the drug-induced slumber.

David dropped his head against Colby's shoulder, his forehead resting against it. All the tension left his body and he was finding it hard to keep his emotions under control. Don put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing them. He could feel David silently sobbing into Colby's shoulder. Dr Poon ushered the nurse outside, giving the men their privacy. He pointed to the door, telling Don he'll be waiting outside. It seems he had more to say to them about Colby. Don waited for David to regain control. When he did he asked. "You okay?" David wiped away his tears and nodded, a little embarrassed. "I'm going to go talk to the doctor outside." David nodded again, sitting down in his chair.

Don stepped outside and found the doctor waiting at the door. "Dr Poon, I'm sorry. I can't tell you the details of what happened to Colby but I can tell you that the man who tortured him was Chinese."

Dr Poon nodded understandingly, "I thought as much and there's no need to apologise. What Agent Granger went through was traumatizing, I'm lucky he didn't snap my neck."

"Thank you for understanding."

"No need. What I wanted to ask is if Agent Sinclair would be willing to stay close by during the next few days. The nurses will be taking blood and administering sedatives during those days and I think it would be in everyone's best interest if Agent Sinclair is present when they do." Dr Poon was about to continue when Megan and Liz turned up. Don acknowledged their arrival before continuing his conversation with his friend.

"As I was saying, I would greatly appreciate it if Agent Sinclair remained by Agent Granger's side. He seems to have a calming effect on our patient and I think it will benefit him physically and mentally."

Don nodded, "Of course. And even if you didn't ask I don't think you'll be able to remove David from Colby's bedside."

Dr Poon smiled. "I thought so."

"What can you do about his fever?"

The doctor looked through his chart. In all the chaos that went on in there he missed the note the nurse left about Colby's fever. "I'll have a nurse administer a dose of acetaminophen through his IV. Hopefully that's enough to bring it down." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Agent Eppes, but with the drugs already in his system there's little I can do but keep him comfortable until it runs its course."

"Thank you, doctor. We went through something similar not too long ago so we understand." Don shook the doctor's hand. Dr Poon left them to attend to his other patients.

Megan and Liz were lost. "What did we miss?"

Don grimaced, "Colby woke up. You can imagine he wasn't impressed with seeing a Chinese man with a syringe standing over him."

Megan's hand flew to her mouth."How is the doctor still alive?"

"Because of David." Don told them about what just happened in the room. Don rubbed his face, tiredly, after telling the girls about everything. "Colby just can't seem to catch a break."

"Yeah…" Megan agreed, "And David…"

"Yeah, yeah…I know. To tell you the truth; I don't know who's in better shape." Don leaned back against the wall, running his fingers through this head.

Liz rubbed Don's shoulder. "Come on. Let me go in and see him and then I'll take you home. You need a rest." Don thought about that and then nodded.

David was gripping Colby's hand when the three of them walked in. Don looked worryingly at it. David's knuckles were almost white. "Hey, David. What happened?"

David shrugged, the action was supposed to be casual but David's answer told them it was anything but. "You know, the usual for Colby. Nightmares, pain, hallucinations, trust issues." He wasn't just talking about what happened with the doctor. In the short time Don was outside talking with the doctor, another nightmare started. It was quickly quenched by David's voice but it still scared the Agent. "How many crazy nightmares can one man take before he loses his mind?"

"A lesser man? Not many, but Colby? He can take on whatever's thrown at him." Don said. It wasn't an exaggeration. He knew what he said was the truth. However, the next few days would be testing his statement.

* * *

It was two days after Colby was admitted to the hospital when Don and David witnessed the worst of the hallucinations. Don had just finished work and wanted to pay Colby a visit before heading home. Hearing the commotion inside the room, Don shot into the room only to skid to a stop. "What the hell?" A nurse was standing near the entrance, scared to death. David was standing on the other side of the bed, near the head. His hands were stretched out, showing Colby he was no threat. Colby was backed up into the corner near the window. The window was open and Don could see what Colby was contemplating. "Crap." He slowly moved forward and tapped the nurse of the shoulder. She jumped. "Sssshh…" Don hushed her and pointed towards the door, telling her to leave. She nodded and ran out the door. Don closed the door and locked it, ensuring nobody interrupted them. He took a deep breath before walking further into the room, casually.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" One look from him told David to play along. David nodded and forcefully relaxed himself.

"Just having a conversation, aren't we, Colby?" David spoke slowly. "Why don't you join us, Don?"

"I'd like that. Is that okay with you, Colby?" Don asked as he took another step.

Colby looked like he was trying to push himself through the wall. "I don't want to do this anymore." Don and David exchanged looks. None of them knew what Colby was talking about. "I don't want to lie to them anymore."

"Who?" David asked as he inched himself close to the window to block any move, from Colby, to jump out.

"Don…and his team…my partner." Colby was exhausted. "They're good people." A conversation was going on in Colby's head. He wasn't talking to them but someone in the space between Don and David. In his mind he was in Kirkland's motel room. _If you stop now, everything you've done in the past year will be for nothing and the mole in the FBI will keep feeding information to the Chinese. Is that what you want?_

"I just want to be an ordinary field agent…not a spy. They trust me." Colby whispered the last three words.

 _That's the point, Granger. It's means you're doing your job._

"I don't want to lose that trust."

It dawned on Don who Colby was talking to. "Mike Kirkland" He mouthed to David. David nodded. They wondered if they should be listening to this. The case was closed and filed.

 _Look Colby, I know this is hard, but we're trying to catch a traitor. If we don't get him, thousands could die._

"I told David about something that happened in Kandahar yesterday. I've never told anyone about that. Nobody knows."

David remembered that day. It was after he was cleared for shooting a suspect in custody.

 _That's not a bad thing, Colby…_

"YES IT IS!" Colby pushed himself off the wall, yelling at the air. "I don't talk about Kandahar…to anyone!"

 _Colby…_

"Pull me out!"

 _Colby, don't do this._

"Pull me out! I want out!" Without the wall, there was nothing to keep Colby from falling. His legs gave way.

David and Don both shot forward, catching the young agent before he could hit the floor. "We've got you, Colb."

Colby started struggling. _Where did Mike go?_ Hands were restricting him. "Who are you…let me go! Let me go!"

David grunted as Colby elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey, Colby, calm down."

"I didn't want to lie to you. I didn't want to do it!" David found himself wrapping his arms around his friend again, just as he did when they first found him and Charlie.

Don was kneeling in front of him. He grabbed Colby's wrists gently. As much as he was struggling, there was no strength behind it. He was still too weak to put up a real fight. "Colby…Colby…calm down."

Colby stopped moving and looked up at his boss. "Don?"

"Yeah, Colb."

"You're the only who calls me that." Colby smiled sadly. "Colb." Don smiled he didn't know when he started to drop the 'y'. "Are you here to arrest me?"

"Why would I arrest you, Colb?" Don let Colby's wrists go. He didn't want Colby thinking he was restraining him for any reason. He nodded for David to do the same. David let go but he didn't move from behind his friend. He was the only thing holding Colby up.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you."

"I understand. Our national security was at stake. You couldn't trust anyone."

Colby shook his head, he looked so alone, Don ached for him. "I trusted all of you. I just couldn't tell you. Mike almost pulled me out because I was so messed up."

Don didn't want to hear anymore. If Colby were clear-minded he wouldn't be talking about it to anyone. "Colb, you don't owe us an explanation. We understand."

"Mike told me I was out but that was after I saved Jo." Jo Santiago was the boy kidnapped and ransomed for $3.2 million. "We saved one life that day and it felt so good. I wanted to save more. It's why I became a soldier and then joined the FBI. I wanted to save lives. Finding the mole meant saving thousands…I couldn't be selfish. I was happy here but how many lives would I ruin if I pulled out?"

Don smiled, "You're a good man, Colb."

"Yeah, Colby. You are." David, unconsciously, pulled his friend tightly against him. "I've known it all along. Just wouldn't admit it to you."

"I don't like being sedated." Colby said, seemingly out of the blue. "Makes it hard to tell the difference between what's real and what's not."

Don's eyes widened at that. "So you know that we're real, right?"

"Yeah…I know." Colby closed his eyes. "Wasn't sure at first but then Kirkland disappeared and you two were holding me." David and Don exchanged looks. Colby wasn't in a nightmare. He wasn't talking under the influence of the drug. He was opening up to them. "I don't want to keep secrets anymore. When NSA debriefed me they told me I couldn't speak to anyone about my undercover work but screw them." Colby's eyes started closing. "I've let them control my life for two years. I'm done following their orders. The team's my family and families don't have secrets."

Don smiled as Colby fell back asleep in David's arm, then looked up at David. "After everything he just told us. I think you owe it to him to return the favour."

David nodded, "Yeah, I know. We'll talk."

"You do that." Don leaned forward and gently tapped Colby's cheeks. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty, let's get you into bed."

Colby opened his eyes. "Go away." He snuggled further into David's arm.

David raised his eyebrows. "He might be clear of _that_ drug but he's under the influence of _something_." He smiled down at his friend who looked so comfortable. _Click._ David's head shot up. "Oh no you didn't!"

Don lowered his phone camera, grinning. "I couldn't pass up the chance." He pocketed his phone and bent down, taking one of Colby's arms. "Come on, let's get him into the bed."

David glared at his friend. "The guy just opened to you about trust and look what you do." He shook his head in disgust as he pulled a very exhausted Colby to his feet. "Let's see if he trusts you again when he sees that picture."

"What picture?" Don and David lowered Colby into the bed, who wasn't completely asleep.

"Don't you worry about that, Colb. Just rest." Don grinned when his friend did as he was told. He picked up the IV line hanging on the pole. "I'll get the nurse to put this back in."

"Yeah, you go do that and don't come back in until you've deleted that picture!" David growled at him.

Don walked out grinning. "Looks like I won't be seeing you until Colby's discharged then."

"Wise ass."

"Hey! That's your boss you're talking about!"

* * *

 **One week later...**

Colby Granger was itching to get out of hospital. Dr Weinstein declared he was fit enough to get around on his own but preferred he used a cane until his next appointment. Dr Poon cleared him of any permanent damage but warned him to expect nightmares. "Nightmares are a part of everyone's lives, doc. Just depends if you let them effect you or not." He had told the toxicologist.

Colby tried to be patient. It was déjà vu, only David was here instead of Don. "We'll take good care of him, doc." Dr Poon pointed at the bottle David was holding. "Diazepam. It'll help you sleep."

"Won't be needing it, Doc." Colby told him. "Sleeping pills and me don't mix."

"Just in case." Dr Poon replied. "No harm in taking some home. Dr Weinstein says Tylenol should be enough for any pain."

"Yeah…probably won't…"

"Colby, shut up and let the doctor talk." David rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Sorry, doc."

"It's fine. You're good to go, Agent Granger. I pray I don't see you again."

"Touché!" Granger got off the bed and held out his hand. "Thanks, Doc. And I'm really sorry about attacking you."

"Completely understandable. I wish you a fast recovery." He left the room.

"David, get me out of here." Colby walked past David as fast as his body would allow him.

"Yes Sir!" David saluted before grabbing the gym bag and following Colby out the door.

* * *

Colby frowned when David missed the turn to his condo. "You forget where I live?"

"What? Of course not, why?"

Colby jabbed a thumb behind him. "Because the turn off is back there."

"So? You're not going home yet. You're staying at Charlie's."

Colby groaned. "Oh come on. You heard the doc. I'm fine."

"I believe he said you were cleared to walk on your own. You still need someone to keep an eye on you until the pain doesn't incapacitate you." David pointed out.

"It doesn't incapacitate me." Colby knew that wasn't exactly true. The pain was fine as long as he took it easy but any sudden movement causes pain to shoot through him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Don's going to think I'm trying to move into his bedroom."

"Don considers us family." David looked over at his friend. Still too pale for his liking. "You're my family." He said softly.

Colby opened his eyes to look at him. "Yeah." He gave a lop-sided smile. "Feelings mutual." He frowned, noticing that David seemed uncomfortable. "Something on your mind?"

"Yeah, but it can wait. You look beat."

"You going to wait until I'm 100%? 'Cause that could be a while." David turned to him, concerned. "I'm fine, just not as fine as I'd like to be."

David pulled up to the Eppes house but he didn't get out after turning the engine off. He turned in his seat to face Colby. "I'm sorry."

Colby frowned. "Ooookay. I'll bite. What for?"

"When I heard your name on the Janus List, I didn't give you the benefit of the doubt. You were guilty and nothing was going to convince me otherwise."

"I confessed, David." Colby told him, a little disappointed that they still weren't past that.

"Yeah and I've worked in this job long enough to know that innocent people confess for all sorts of reasons." David wasn't letting Colby let him off the hook so easily. "Don knew something was wrong with your confession. He watched that recording fifty times over."

"Nah…he just didn't want to believe he was wrong about me. Between you and me I think he has a bit of an ego." Colby grinned.

David chuckled at that. "Seriously Colby. You're my partner. Out of everyone, I should've believed you. We've had each other's backs for two years."

Colby sighed, "You were angry and hurt. You felt betrayed. In situations like that, you tend to let your emotions control you. It's human, David."

"Colby, stop making excuses for me!"

Colby closed his eyes, getting frustrated. "I'm not making excuses for you, David! I'm not making excuses because you're apologizing for the wrong thing!" Colby got out of the car angrily. "Damn it!" He stopped when his injury made itself known.

"Hey, take it easy." David quickly got out of the car and ran around to help his partner.

"I'm fine." Colby flinched when David tried to take his arm. "I'm fine." Colby rested his head in his hands, trying to catch his breath.

David sighed and knelt down in front of Colby. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up at the hospital." Colby slowly lifted his head. "You took that bullet for me after I told you I didn't trust you to watch my back. You almost died and I just couldn't face you after that…not after everything I said."

Colby shook his head, tiredly. "You're my partner, whether or not you were willing to admit it at the time."

" _Goes with the job."_ David repeated the words he told Colby after he thanked him for saving his life on the freighter.

Colby knew what David was thinking. He had said those words to tell Colby not to think too much of it. He would've done that for anyone in that situation. "Yeah it does." Colby agreed with the comment, making David think he wasn't forgiven, but Colby continued. "Watching your back is my job just like watching mine is yours. We're partners and you dropped the ball when you decided I didn't need you at the hospital." Colby looked up and saw the guilt in David's eyes. "But I think you know that already." He said, the angry tone no longer there. "That's why you never left my side since you found me and Charlie." Colby smiled at his friend. "I wouldn't have survived if you weren't there to keep me grounded to reality."

"From what Charlie told us, you were pretty good at keeping yourself grounded." David remembered what Charlie had told him after one of Colby's episodes in the hospital. David was beginning to think Colby would never recover from the drugs but Charlie's story told him otherwise.

" _After I sent the message to Don on our location, I turned back to Colby. He was in pain. I could see it. He was trembling all over and he looked like he was ready to pounce at every sound. I thought he was going shoot at nothing, instead he turned to me and handed me the gun. He told me he was hallucinating so it was dangerous for him to be handling the gun." Charlie waved a hand at his head, as if trying to work out how Colby did what he did. "Somehow, in all the confusion he managed to separate the real from the illusions. He told me it was the adrenaline of the escape, but I just think it's because he's Colby Granger." Charlie looked at Colby in awe. "I believe in Colby and so should you."_

"Nah…" Colby shook his head. "The drug wasn't in full effect yet. I could still fight it."

David put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." This time Colby was satisfied.

"I know." Colby nodded.

"Good." David stood and held out his hand. "Now will you let me help you up?"

Colby chuckled. "Yeah."

* * *

 **Two months later…**

Colby enjoyed his days with the Eppes. They made sure he was looked after but they were never over-bearing. However, he was still glad to be in his own home. Colby made a faster recovery than they thought he would. Now he was riding up the elevator to return to work. It's been too long. He easily cleared his physical but the psychological test was harder to pass. He remembered back to three days ago...

 _Don's psychologist was thorough. He insisted on a group session with everyone involved in the case. Colby wasn't sure he could handle listening to what everyone thought of him during the days after the Janus list was revealed. He was sitting on the couch, hands clasped, elbows resting on his knees. He had his eyes closed as each team member spoke of those days._

 _"We felt betrayed, obviously!" Megan started, "The team could barely function after that bombshell."_

 _"What do you want us to say, Doc? We trusted Colby to watch our backs for two years and then we find out he's been reporting on us all that time. We reacted the way any team would." Don defended._

 _Colby was shaking now. He didn't want to hear this any more. David looked over at his friend, seeing the trembles. "Doc, I don't see how this is helping Colby. We've been through this as a team already."_

 _"Yes, Colby's told me. He said you all apologized and welcome him back to the team but has Colby really forgiven all of you for not believing in him?"_

 _Colby's head shot up at that. "What are you talking about, Doc? I was never angry at them. What's there to forgive?"_

 _"Are you sure about that?" Dr Bradford challenged. "I can't imagine there's nothing you're angry about. You spent five weeks in jail. Surely you must be angry about that."_

 _Colby rolled his eyes. "The plan was to get me in jail so I could get Dwayne out! Why would I be angry at them for putting myself in jail?!"_

 _Dr Bradford accepted that answer. "But surely some things happened in jail that made you doubt that plan and your team."_

 _Colby shuddered as his mind transported him back to that time. Being an FBI Agent in a jail full of felons, some who he helped put there, was not good to say the least. "Would've been nice not to be put in with the general population." He admitted quietly._

 _The room fell silent. Don and the others never even thought about what might've happened to Colby in jail. Colby ran his fingers through his hair. When nobody spoke, Colby continued. "The first week was the hardest because I kept thinking someone made a mistake and would pull me out of there but when that didn't happen I knew I was on my own. Dwayne wouldn't talk to me until I took a pretty bad beating, ended up in the medical wing for three days. Still I wasn't taken out of the general population." Don's mouth was opened in shock at hearing about this. He didn't understand how he, the Agent in charge of the case, wasn't told about this. Colby looked up at him. "You didn't know about it." Don shook his head. Colby smiled and nodded. "I figured as much but…" Colby wiggled his finger at his head, "that little doubt in the back of your mind can really drive you crazy at times like that." Colby took a deep breath. "It wasn't so bad after that. Dwayne had my back. He had already established a network in the prison. It kept a lot of them at bay."_

 _"But not all of them." Liz spoke up._

 _Colby looked at her. She could see he was trying to keep his anger from bursting out. "What did you expect? I helped put a lot of those guys in there. I'm an FBI Agent turned traitor! Those men in there may be criminals but even they have a sense of patriotism!"_

 _Don spoke up, taking Colby's attention off Liz. "I'm sorry, Colby. That's all on me. I should've thought about that."_

 _Colby scoffed, "Yeah well, you didn't, Don and even if you did you wouldn't have acted on it!"_

 _"Colby!" David shot off the couch opposite Colby. "This is Don you're talking about. He's the one who refused to believe you were a traitor!"_

 _"That's because he didn't want to admit he was wrong!" Colby jumped off the couch to meet David. "That I played him for two years! He didn't give a damn about me, his ego was bruised!" The muscles in Colby's neck were strained. He was wound up so tight, they were worried he was going to bolt. Colby closed his eyes, frustrated at himself for losing control. "I'm sorry." He was breathing heavily, dropping back down in his seat. "I'm sorry." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I.." Colby could barely get his words out. "I know it's not your fault. It was my job." Colby calmed himself down. "If I was placed in isolation I wouldn't have been able to get to Dwayne. I knew that, but I spent five weeks in that hellhole trying to stay alive. I couldn't sleep. I even put a few of them in the hospital myself. One guy almost didn't make it. Farelli…I think his name was." Colby couldn't look up after that. He was too ashamed of himself. "I was turning into one of them. It's no wonder none of you trusted me. Deep down…I'm no better than the low-lives we put away." He finished quietly.  
_

 _"Colby…no.." The team all started to speak at once but none of them could really form a sentence. It was Charlie who knew what to say._

 _Charlie had kept quiet the whole time. He wondered why the doctor requested for his presence but now he knew. He looked around the room and saw how defeated the team was. There was too much guilt in the room. Charlie pulled out some folded pieces of paper from his pocket and walked over to his friend, sitting down beside him. Don recognized the paper. It was his trust metric. "I've been meaning to give you this but after I saw the team was back together again, I didn't think you needed it. Clearly I was wrong."_

 _Colby hesitantly took the pieces of paper. He frowned at the equations. Colby had to laugh, thinking Charlie had lost his mind. "Charlie, in the years you've known me when have I ever understood one of your equations." The people in the room couldn't help but smile._

 _Charlie chuckled. "It's called a trust metric. I created it to measure the teams trust in you."_

 _Colby scoffed. "You needed an equation to tell that? You should've just asked me…I could've told you."_

 _"They trust you, Colby." Charlie revealed. Colby turned his head away from all the numbers and letters on the page to look Charlie in the eyes. The sincerity there was clear. Charlie smiled at the surprise in Colby's expression. "They always have."_

 _Don mentally put in a reminder to thank his brother after this. This session was turning into a nightmare until now. He moved away from the window and tapped his brother's shoulder, nudging his head, silently asking him to give him the seat. Charlie nodded and stood._

 _Colby watched as Don exchanged places with his brother, wary of what Don had to say to him. He wasn't proud of what he said about Don. He was angry and just needed to lash out. Probably not the best idea to choose his boss for the target._

 _Don sighed as Colby suddenly found the numbers on the page interesting. "I've made a lot of questionable decisions during my time here. Ones I'm not proud of but I've made my peace with them because it got the job done and took dangerous people off the streets." Colby didn't say anything, but Don knew he was listening. "When you called me from the train, you told me you still trusted me, so I'm hoping that trust is still there when I tell you this." Colby couldn't help but turn to look at Don. "I would never intentionally cause you harm. It doesn't matter if I thought you were a traitor or not, I would never put your life at risk like that." Don rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry I put you in that situation. You're a survivor, Colby. You did what you had to, to survive in there. You're not one of them. You're one of us!"_

 _Colby allowed himself a small smile, accepting Don's words. He'd always known it but there are times when you just had to hear it from the person that matters. He looked back down at the papers in his hands. "I might go home and frame this." Colby said quietly. "It's gibberish to me but at least it'll impress the girls I bring home." The team had silly grins on their faces. Finally, they could put everything behind them and get back to their lives._

 _"Yeah, it might finally land you a second date!" David laughed._

 _"Hey, you can't talk, David. It's been a while since I've seen you with a girl." Liz teased._

 _Don grinned at his team's antics. He caught the doctor's eyes and nodded his gratitude. He should learn to trust this guy's expertise. He was really good at his job._

The ding of the bell pulled him from the memory. The doors opened and the first thing he heard was applause, then the popping of party poppers. He grinned, shaking people's hands as he passed them. "Thank you. Thank you." Everyone welcomed him back, then something weird happened. Everyone's phones started beeping. The agents pulled out their cell phones. Then his phone beeped. "Is this a case?" He pulled out his phone but didn't get a chance to look at it.

"DON!" David yelled out at his boss. "I am going to kill you!"

Laughter started through the office. Colby looked around. "What's going on?" He looked down at his phone and opened the message. It was a photo. "What the hell?!" It was a photo of Colby asleep in David's arms. "David! What the hell were you doing when I was asleep?!" He asked as he made a beeline for his partner.

David turned to him, "It was after one of your episodes! I caught you before you could fall. You're welcome!"

"Doesn't explain why you're smiling at me like that!" Colby looked around at the laughing agents. "And who…" He looked at his boss who was holding his aching stomach. "Really, Don?"

"I couldn't help it! You guys looked so…cute!" He burst out laughing again.

Colby turned to Liz and Megan but they were laughing so hard, he knew they would be of no help. He turned to David and pointed his phone at him. "This is your fault." Colby climbed onto David's table and called out. "Listen up people. Before anyone here decides to forward that picture, let me remind you; Counter-intelligence owes me! If you have any embarrassing pictures out there, I will find it and I will use it!" The laughter died down into a mumble. "Good. Now everyone find the delete function on your phone and delete it!"

Colby jumped down off the table. "Thanks for the welcome back, Don!"

"Ahhh…you're no fun. I can't believe you pulled the Counter-intelligence card." Don complained. "I'm keeping my picture."

"You're just jealous I have the card to pull." Colby turned to David, "And that's how you handle the situation!"

David rolled his eyes. "Thank you oh Mighty One!" He shook his head at Don, disappointed in his boss. "I thought that would've been beneath an FBI agent of your caliber."

"Pranks should never be beneath anyone."

Colby and David exchanged devious looks, then turned to their boss. "When something comes up on the internet…" Colby started.

"…or on the internal network…" David continued.

"Just remember you said that today." Colby leaned back in his seat, fingers entwined behind his head, looking a little too smug.

"You really think you two can pull a prank on me?" Don shook his head. "Good luck."

Colby and David grinned at him.

Don should've been worried but he was too content to be worried. Megan and Liz were smiling at the two agents. Colby's healed. David and Colby's partnership was back on track. His team was back together and smiling. Life was good.

 **The End!**


End file.
